Family Isn't Just Your Blood
by angelus cado
Summary: *ON HOLD BEING OUTLINED IN FULL* *Sequel to "About the Blood"* Dumbledore comes to find Buffy after the fall of Sunnydale. The wizarding world has changed a lot from Buffy remembered. Will she be able to find her place in that world again?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, characters belong to Whedon and Rowling. Anything you don't recognize probably belongs to me. For fun, not profit. If you sue, you'll get… not much. Secretaries don't make very much, even specialized ones like me.

**Notes:** This is the sequel to my earlier story, "About the Blood". You might want to go and read that first, otherwise you might get a little lost.

Takes place after Season 7 for Buffy; Season 8 comics are ignored because I've never bothered to pick up and read any of them. AU for Harry Potter as of the beginning of Order of the Phoenix. Ages are obviously messed with a bit because if we're going with canon ages and years, Buffy and her friends are supposedly the same age as Harry and his friends. Any other changes will become apparent as the story progresses.

Those of you looking for Voldemort to show up right away and be present from the beginning are going to be disappointed. He will be involved, but it'll take a while before he makes an appearance. In-fic, Christmas time is when he really starts rearing his ugly snake head.

Also, you'll note that there is no pairing labelled in this fic. That is because I have no plans for pairings. It may _appear_ at some point that there will be a pairing, but not everything is as it appears.

Chapter 1

"BUFFY! THERE'S SOME OLD DUDE AT THE DOOR FOR YOU!"

Buffy sighed as Dawn's voice echoed through the cottage in Bath they were staying in, curious as to who the "old dude" was. It was too much to hope that it was someone from her other life, but a girl could hope.

Giles had offered them a place to stay while he was working with the other Watchers that had survived to resurrect the Watcher's Council. Having no where else to go, they followed their father figure without question until they found something to do with themselves. Buffy was quite happy to just spend her days lazing around and spending time with her sister, both luxuries that had been stripped from her the last year due to the First Evil and training and housing the Potentials.

Getting up from the sitting room couch, she padded across the house to the front foyer, where Dawn was standing with someone she thought she would never, ever, see again. Although his hair and beard were both much whiter and his face had had far more lines, the twinkle in the blue eyes was much the same, as were the outlandish robes and the half moon spectacles perched on the end of his nose.

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was standing in what was quickly becoming her and Dawn's house.

"I must be dreaming," Buffy said with a shake of her head as she pinched herself. When it hurt, she looked up; nope, he was still there, soft smile underneath his beard and a twinkle in his bright blue eyes. "What are you doing here? _How _are you here?"

"You know this guy?" Dawn asked, arching an eyebrow, looking from her sister to the old man and back again.

"Uh, yeah, you could say that," Buffy replied, still a little thunderstruck. Once she had came back (been thrown back) to her own time, she'd tried to find something, anything, that gave any indication that the Wizarding world had existed, but had found nothing. Part of her wondered if it had been a dream, but another knew it had happened. She had been able to retain her wand, and the charm bracelet that Tom had given her and she'd landed wearing the horrid school uniform she'd been forced to wear. It had been ages since she had used her wand, although the last time she had used it the spells had come effortlessly. The delicate charm bracelet sat in her jewellery box, which she had managed to save from the crater, and the school uniform was at the bottom of Lake Sunnydale.

"I wish this were merely a social call, but I must speak to you with much urgency," Dumbledore said, the twinkle and smile gone as fast as it had crossed his face. "Is there a place where we can speak in private?"

"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of Dawn. I'm going to tell her anyway," Buffy replied. She turned to Dawn. "Is Giles home yet?"

"Yeah, I think he's in his study," Dawn replied. "You want me to go and get him?"

"Might be a good idea. He needs to know this, too," Buffy replied. "We'll be in the sitting room when you finally convince him to get away from his books."

Dawn nodded and disappeared up the stairs before she turned and regarded the man standing in front of her. He did the same, and for a few moments they regarded each other in silence.

"You got old," Buffy said as a way to break the silence.

"So did you," Dumbledore replied. "Might I have a place to sit down? I'm not as young as I was and travelling has tired me greatly."

"Sitting room is through here," Buffy said, leading Dumbledore down the hallway to the sitting room. She gestured to the chairs and sofa in the room, indicating for him to sit down, and he took the most comfortable chair in the room. Buffy curled up in her previous place on one side of the couch, her book forgotten. "I tried to find you, you know. The Wizarding world, I mean. I wanted to make sure it wasn't a dream. I looked in all of the books I could find."

"Were you successful?" Dumbledore asked, mildly curious.

"No," Buffy replied. "At least, not in the States. I even tried raiding Giles' hidden stash in the library, but couldn't really do it without getting funny looks. 'Cause, you know, not really research girl. I was going to see if I could find Diagon Alley in London once I got settled here."

"Yes, well, the Wizarding world cannot be found unless it wants to be found," Dumbledore replied as Dawn and Giles entered the room. They both stared at Dumbledore for a few moments before Buffy gestured to them to sit down.

"Come on, this might take a while," Buffy said, patting the couch. Giles sat next to Buffy and Dawn sat at the other end, farthest from Dumbledore. "Make with the 'splainy, Professor."

"Ah yes, I'd nearly forgotten about your unique use of the English language," Dumbledore said with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry, but who are you and why are you here?" Giles asked, somewhat suspicious.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Dumbledore replied. "I am here to ask Buffy for her help."

"The Slayer and the Watcher's Council do not interfere with matters in the Wizarding world," Giles said.

"But with so many Slayers in the world now, I'm sure you could spare one," Dumbledore replied. "And I am not asking for Miss Summers' help as a Slayer, nor am I asking for the backing and resources of the Watcher's Council. I'm asking for her help as a former student and as someone who has a unique perspective."

"Former student?" Giles asked, before turning his attention to Buffy. "What does he mean, former student?"

"Remember that summer after I sent Angel to hell, where I told you I was in LA when I came back?" Buffy asked. Giles nodded, as did Dawn, although she hadn't actually been there at the time. Her memories told her she had, though. "Well, I wasn't in LA. I wasn't even in the States. Hell, I wasn't even in the same decade!"

And then Buffy told her story. The portal backlash, landing at Hogwarts, learning magic. Everything. How she had been told that Dippet and Dumbledore weren't going to send her back. How her relationship with Tom developed, against all odds. Her friends, the people she had come to consider family, how some of them nearly became her family. How some Slytherin students had opened a portal and shoved her in, not caring where she went as long as she was gone so they could have their leader back. It was sheer dumb luck that she landed relatively close in time and space from where she had left.

"So, you went to Hogwarts," Giles said after her spiel was finished.

"Uh, yeah," Buffy replied, rubbing the back of her neck uncomfortably. "Look, I know I should have told you, but Professor Dumbledore and Professor Dippet both told me about the Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Non-magical people aren't supposed to know except under dire circumstances. Besides, I thought you might cart me off to the funny farm if I did tell you."

"One thing perplexes me," Giles said, his voice thoughtful. "How did you know what happened to the Slayer line?"

"Ah, well, I do apologize for this, but I have been keeping tabs on Buffy once I figured out that we existed in the same dimension," Dumbledore replied. He had the good grace to look sheepish.

"So you got to know about me but I couldn't find out about you?" Buffy asked. "That's _so _not fair!"

"How were you able to follow Buffy around?" Giles asked.

"It wasn't difficult, if one knew the right people to ask," Dumbledore replied.

"So, what's this mission you've got for me?" Buffy asked. Both Giles and Dumbledore looked at her in surprise. "What? He said it wasn't a social call so I'm putting my money on the mission bet."

"Well, to know the mission, you first need to know the history," Dumbledore replied. "I must tell you now, a Mr. Tom Riddle is featured rather unfavourably in this tale."

"I already knew he was far from an angel when I met him," Buffy replied with a roll of her eyes. "Continue."

So Dumbledore told his story, of how Tom Riddle had transformed himself into Lord Voldemort. How he gathered followers from the prominent pureblood families; some surnames she recognized, although by the time Voldemort had started gathering his followers, his classmates were too old to be actively in the fight. Their children joined the ranks instead.

He told her of the fates of her friends. How Minerva McGonagall had become Deputy Headmistress, head of Gryffindor House and Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts. How Quentin Trimble had all but disappeared from public life in the 1960's, although he still wrote Defence Against the Dark Arts textbooks. How Terrence Longbottom had died of cancer, a disease that even the Wizarding world could not cure, surrounded by his family. How Augusta Longbottom, nee Smith, was still alive and raising her grandson, Neville, a soon to be fifth year at Hogwarts, because his parents had been tortured into madness by Death Eaters. How Hagrid had been cleared of all charges and had been appointed Care of Magical Creatures professor.

He told her of the Order of the Phoenix and their struggle against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He told her of their triumphs and their defeats. He told her of one fateful Halloween night some fourteen years ago when a boy, no more than a year old, had survived the Avada Kedavra curse, causing it to rebound on its caster. How one little boy named Harry Potter had defeated Lord Voldemort, the only thing to show for it was a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.

"So what, you want me to make with the slayage?" Buffy asked. Her voice was steel, and there was something about her that hadn't been there when she had had to defeat Angelus so many years ago.

She was prepared to send yet another person she had fallen in love with to his grave.

"Nothing so dramatic, my dear," Dumbledore replied, patting her knee. "At least, not with Lord Voldemort. There's a prophecy."

"There always is," Dawn muttered from her end of the couch.

"Yep," Buffy agreed with a nod of her head.

"The prophecy states that Lord Voldemort will mark a boy as his equal, and neither can live while the other survives," Dumbledore replied.

"And this Harry kid, he's Tom's equal?" Buffy asked.

"I'm afraid so," Dumbledore replied wearily.

"Why do you require Buffy's assistance?" Giles asked, curious. "This Riddle fellow seems to have evolved and is a much different person than the boy Buffy knew. How will she be of help?"

"She knows his history," Dumbledore replied. "She's an integral part of his history. Also, while we know about what tactics witches and wizards will use, we need someone well versed in demons and vampires."

"So you want me to join this Order and help fight the good fight?" Buffy asked. Dumbledore nodded. "Well, so much for retirement."

"What about me?" Dawn asked. "You're leaving again. What am I supposed to do, sit here twiddling my thumbs? 'Cause I gotta say, that's gonna suck."

"Well, if Miss Summers wishes to stay at Headquarters, you may wish to come with her. There are several people your age with whom you could spend time with," Dumbledore replied.

"Well, it's not like we need you here to help restructure the Council," Giles said, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "I daresay you've had enough of stodgy old men telling you what to do?"

"Yeah," Buffy replied. She turned to Dawn. "What do you say, Dawn? Are you up for an adventure into my other life?"

"Sounds cool," Dawn replied with a grin. "So Gramps, when do we leave?"

"As soon as possible, I'm afraid," Dumbledore replied, smiling a little at the nickname. "There is a meeting tonight and I was hoping that you might be able to attend."

"I guess we should probably start packing, then," Buffy said, getting up. Dawn followed Buffy's lead and Giles was about to as well when Dumbledore's voice stopped him.

"Might we chat a little bit longer, Mr. Giles?" he asked. "Unless you have something more pressing to deal with, of course."

"No, no," Giles said, sounding flustered. "Buffy, Dawn, you might want to go and pack. It may take you a while to find everything."

"Gotcha," Buffy replied. She grabbed Dawn by the arm and dragged her bodily from the room and up the stairs, not stopping until she reached the bedroom they had been shared for the past week.

"Wonder what Bumblebee man is talking to Giles about?" Dawn asked as she sat down on her bed, bouncing a little as she did so.

"Probably talking about his grandmum," Buffy replied with a shrug. "She was a teacher at Hogwarts when I was there. Was a Watcher before that and acted as mine when Dippet and Dumbledore couldn't send me back."

"Woah," Dawn said, blinking. "So this magic school, it's for real?"

"Yep," Buffy replied. "Great big castle in the middle of Scotland. Mild summers, freezing cold winters. Got into my first snowball fight. _That _was something I don't want to do again."

"And you got to learn magic?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah," Buffy replied. She reached over to her bedside table and opened the top drawer. Inside, buried underneath everything in the drawer was her wand. She extracted it and handed it over to her sister. "Rosewood and vampire blood, literally one of a kind. Mr. Ollivander said he'd never used vampire blood before he made that wand and he didn't think anyone would be able to use it."

"Vampire blood," Dawn said sceptically as she took the wand from her sister. It emitted a couple of gold sparks, causing Dawn to drop it in surprise. "Is it supposed to do that?"

"No," Buffy replied, picking the wand up from where it had rolled across the floor. "But I think I might know what's happening. I'll have to talk to Professor Dumbledore about it."

"What's it mean?" Dawn asked.

"Well, when it happened to me with Dumbledore's wand, it meant I could do magic," Buffy replied.

"You mean, I can do magic?" Dawn asked. Her eyes were shining with excitement.

"Well, I still need to talk to Dumbledore about it," Buffy replied. "But it looks like maybe you can."

"Cool!" Dawn exclaimed. "Wait… if I _can _do magic, will you _let _me do magic?"

"As long as you're being taught by someone who knows what they're doing and don't try spells that are too advanced without supervision, I have no problems with it," Buffy replied. "We'll talk about it with Dumbledore later, okay?"

"Sure," Dawn said. "Sure, sounds cool. So, do you know anything about the people who might be in this Order?"

"Not really," Buffy replied. "I mean a lot of the people I knew when I was in school are, well, kind of old now. If I'm lucky, I'll know their grandparents. If I'm really lucky, I'll know their parents. Oh, this is gonna suck."

"It won't be so bad," Dawn said cheerfully as she began gathering her things. "You can just say you're well preserved. Hey, how old do you think Bumblebee man is?"

"Well, he was old-ish when I was a student," Buffy replied. "Maybe a hundred? I know witches and wizards live longer than Muggles. And why are you calling him Bumblebee man? Because I swear I'm the one that does the name mangling around here."

"But it is his name," Dawn replied. "Well, kinda. The word Dumbledore is an eighteenth century word for bumblebee."

"And there goes my super smart sister again," Buffy said. "I wouldn't be surprised if you got sorted into Ravenclaw with all of the book smarts you've got going on in that brain of yours."

"I'm not going to even pretend I understood that," Dawn said. "By the way, what's a Muggle?"

"Non-magic person," Buffy replied. She surveyed the room, wrinkling her nose at the chaos around her, both from the packing and generally living there. "Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Here's hoping I can still do this."

She flicked her wand at the piles of clothes, concentrating on separating them. While it was far from a tidy job, but the clothes went into their respective suitcases like Buffy had hoped.

"Cool!" Dawn exclaimed. "How did you learn that?"

"My friend August taught me. I'm surprised I remembered, actually," Buffy replied with a sigh. "It was one of the spells I needed to know for one of my exams, and she crammed more than enough stuff into my head."

"So, how do you think we're getting to wherever we need to get to?" Dawn asked as she began checking behind dressers and beds to make sure everything was accounted for. "Because I don't think Dumble-dude can drive."

"Can you imagine?" Buffy asked with a snort. "Well, our options are most likely Floo powder, Apparating, Portkey, Knight Bus or flying."

"Flying?" Dawn asked.

"On a broom," Buffy replied with a grimace. "I've only tried it once, and it was a tandem broom ride with Terrence. It was fun, but I don't think I'd be able to handle it solo."

"What's Apparating?" Dawn asked.

"Transporting yourself from one place to another," Buffy replied. "It's really hard to do, even harder when you're taking other people along. I was supposed to take my test after my OWLs but, well, other things got in the way."

"And a Portkey?" Dawn pressed.

"An object that transports you from one place to another," Buffy replied. "Kind of like Apparating, but you put a spell on an object instead of doing the magic on yourself. Or something. Anyway, it's usually how large groups travel."

"And Floo powder?" Dawn asked.

"Travelling by fire," Buffy replied. "Throw a handful of powder into the fire, it turns green and you stand in it before saying where you want to go. Never actually travelled by Floo, but I've heard its really messy."

"Knight Bus?" Dawn asked.

"Big purple triple decker bus," Buffy replied.

"And here I thought it would be awesome to zoom around London on a scooter," Dawn said, just as there was a knock on the door. Giles poked his head in to survey the chaos.

"Are you two almost packed?" he asked.

"Getting there," Buffy replied as she started summoning her and Dawn's things. "Sorry Dawnie, but we're going to have to leave hair dryers, straightening irons and curling irons here. No electricity."

"That's so backwards," Dawn said as she manually checked to make sure that nothing had been missed. "I think we got everything important. Well, everything important we can take with us."

"Good, because Mr. Dumbledore would like to get going as soon as you can," Giles said. "Something about meeting some Order before the meeting."

"Well, we're all packed up," Buffy said, flicking her wand one last time at the handsome trunks Giles had procured for them to store their things until he had gotten proper dressers for them. She grabbed both trunks and followed Giles and Dawn down the stairs.

"You know, I had read Slayers were strong, but I never really saw one in action," Dumbledore remarked from the foyer as he watched Buffy haul both of the trunks down the stairs.

"Yep, that's me, good for slaying vampires, demons and schlepping heavy bags," Buffy replied perkily. She looked down at the large trunk at Dumbledore's feet; he certainly hadn't brought that with him. "What's in the trunk, Professor?"

"That is my contribution to your excursion," Giles said. "I have a feeling you're going to need it before too long."

Giles was acting like he knew something she didn't, which was a usual occurrence. However, he was acting like he knew something about her that she didn't know, and she wasn't entirely sure if she liked that feeling. She narrowed her eyes at him, but let it slide for now. There were more important things to worry about now.

"So, how are we travelling?" Buffy asked.

"The Floo is being watched, Apparating with all of this luggage isn't particularly safe, and flying isn't a good idea when it's daylight out," Dumbledore replied. "And I don't particularly enjoy riding the Knight Bus. Too many jumps."

"I'll explain later," Buffy said. "So, train or portkey?"

"Portkey," Dumbledore confirmed. "It's still risky, but it's the least risky out of all of our options. Besides, I'd stand out on the train a little, don't you think?"

"Maybe just a little," Buffy said with a small smile. "So, where's the portkey and when does it leave?"

Dumbledore held out a handkerchief, monogrammed with his initials. "You have enough time to say your good-byes, I think," he said with a smile before turning away, giving Buffy, Dawn and Giles a little bit of privacy.

"I've seen the both of you grow up into the capable young women I see before me," Giles began, placing a hand on each of their shoulders as he spoke. "Despite knowing this, and seeing you grow before my eyes, I still find it difficult to send you off into an unknown community with new dangers and challenges. I only ask that you exercise caution when encountering these new challenges."

"That sounded like a very British way of saying I care about you and be careful," Buffy remarked.

"Well, yes," Giles said. "I love you two as if you were my own. Please, make it so that you'll come back to me someday."

"We'll do our best," Buffy said, reaching over to hug him. "I can't seem to stay dead, anyway. Maybe Dawn inherited that trait."

"Don't joke about that, dear girl," Giles said, letting her go with a glare as Dawn launched herself at him. "Please, keep me updated if you can."

"Will do," Buffy replied. "Don't try to kill the owl swooping in."

"I shall do my best," Giles said, before turning his attention to Dumbledore. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Professor Dumbledore. My grandmother spoke very highly of you, although she never did tell me what kind of school she taught at after she retired from the Watcher's Council."

"The pleasure was mine," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "I only wish that I had had the opportunity to teach you."

"As do I," Giles replied, before something rather Ripper-ish flashed behind his eyes. "Take care of my girls, Professor. If you don't, they will find you in pieces."

"You have my word," Dumbledore said solemnly, and Buffy could tell he was panicking a little.

"A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend," Buffy remarked. "So, where are we going?"

"I need you to read and memorize what is on this slip of paper," Dumbledore replied, taking out a slip of parchment. Buffy read it before handing it over to Dawn, who also read it. "Now, grab a hold of your luggage with one hand and touch the handkerchief with the other. Yes, that's it. It should activate in three… two… one!"

Giles watched, in shock, as an old man, the two girls he had considered daughters and three trunks of clothing and books disappeared in a flash of light before his eyes.

XoXoXo

**Here's chapter 1. Hope you enjoyed it. Reviews, of course, are appreciated, constructive criticism will be taken to heart and flames will be used to toast marshmallows. Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

They landed moments later in the foyer of an old, mouldering house, which seemed to be Muggle and abandoned in nature. There was a definite musty, damp smell in the air, which made both Buffy and Dawn wrinkle their noses in mild disgust.

"Where are we?" Dawn asked.

"An arrival point for the people Apparating or using Portkeys," Dumbledore replied. "It's much more convenient than Apparating into the foyer of headquarters."

"And where is this headquarters?" Dawn asked.

"Dawn!" Buffy exclaimed. "Be nice."

"No harm done," Dumbledore replied. "Come along, now. Molly is expecting you, and I daresay she'll have a table full of food waiting for you."

Dumbledore led them out of the front door and, after checking that the coast was clear, all three of them headed across the road. He stopped in front of the space between numbers eleven and thirteen. Number twelve was obviously missing.

"I want you to recall what was on that piece of paper you read before you arrived," Dumbledore said. Buffy closed her eyes, the curly script appearing in her mind's eye. _The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is located at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place_.

"Holy crap, what was that?"

Buffy smiled a little at her sister's exclamation as she opened her eyes, just as numbers eleven and thirteen were shoved to the side as another house, number twelve, magically squeezed itself in between then, pushing them to the sides.

"Fidelius charm?" Buffy asked.

"And you said you weren't good at Charms," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Nope, I sucked at Charms," Buffy replied. "How's old Professor Flitwick doing, anyway? He still sore about me sending him flying across the room?"

"You are neither the first, nor the last, to send him flying," Dumbledore replied. "I daresay your nephew Neville managed it more times than you."

"He's not my nephew," Buffy retorted. "Augusta's family didn't get as far as adopting me. Neither did Terrence's."

"Too true," Dumbledore said. "Besides, while Buffy Smith wouldn't be such a bad name, Buffy Longbottom just has an odd sound to it, doesn't it?"

"It wouldn't have been so bad," Buffy replied. "Now isn't there an Order of some kind to meet and greet?"

"Right again, my dear," Dumbledore said. "Now, I beg you to try and be as quiet as possible when entering the house. We have one rather irate portrait that likes to scream obscenities when disturbed. The house is much more harmonious when she's sleeping."

"Portrait screaming obscenities?" Dawn asked. "What kind of screwed up world did you live in?"

"The subjects of paintings can move and speak," Buffy replied. "It's kind of cool, I guess, but it kinda sucks when you're out after curfew and the portrait guarding your common room decides to go for a walk."

"Something you have personal experience with, right, Buffy?" Dumbledore asked with a smile. Buffy just stuck her tongue out at him as he led them into the house.

The foyer was dark and dingy, lit by candles and smelling strongly of mildew. As soon as the front door was closed, a door at the end of the hallway opened, admitting a short, plump, motherly looking redheaded woman dressed in a long purple robe. She smiled warmly up at Professor Dumbledore, brown eyes flicking towards the Summers girls.

"Are these our new guests?" she asked.

"They are," Dumbledore replied. "Molly, I'd like you to meet Buffy Summers and her sister, Dawn. Buffy, Dawn, I'd like you to meet Molly Weasley, a member of the Order. She, her husband and her younger children have been staying at Headquarters for the summer before school starts up in September."

"It's very nice to meet you, girls," Molly said. "Do you have time to stay, Professor Dumbledore? I'm just setting out lunch now."

"Unfortunately, no," Dumbledore replied. "I need to make the final arrangements for our other guest arriving tonight."

"You mean?" Molly asked, hopeful.

"Yes, he's coming tonight," Dumbledore said. "I trust the second bed in Ronald's room is ready?"

"It has been since we've arrived," Molly replied.

"I will see you all later tonight, then, for the meeting," Dumbledore said. "I leave the Misses Summers in your capable hands, Molly."

Dumbledore turned and left then, leaving Buffy, Dawn and Molly in the hallway. It was silent for a few moments before Molly smiled brightly at them again and gestured for them to come closer.

"Come along dears, lunch is about ready," she said as Buffy and Dawn moved forward. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage. Professor Dumbledore hasn't told us a lot about you, just saying that you fought evil and would be willing to join our fight. Are you an American Auror?"

"Nope," Buffy replied. She had to wrack her brain to remember where she had heard the term Auror before – it was a Dark wizard catcher – and shook her head to emphasize her point. "Just a girl here to fight the good fight, you know, get rid of the badness in the world. I'm sure Dumbledore will do the whole 'splainy thing at the meeting tonight."

"Yes, I believe he will," Molly said. "Why don't you two go downstairs to the kitchen while I go and get the children and find everyone else in the house?"

"Just down those stairs?" Buffy asked, pointing to the door Molly had emerged from. Molly nodded before turning and heading up the stairs, presumably to find her children. Buffy turned to her sister. "So, what do you think so far?"

"I think you've been holding out on me," Dawn replied. "You and I are gonna have a long, long talk later."

"Later," Buffy agreed, and they both descended the stairs. While Molly and everyone else in the house were at a slight disadvantage, Buffy and Dawn were at a complete disadvantage, not knowing anything about anyone in the house. Well, except Harry Potter, but he wasn't there and wouldn't be until that evening.

"What's up with that umbrella stand?" Dawn asked as they headed towards the door. Buffy turned and saw what Dawn was talking about; it was a severed and preserved foot, much larger than anything she'd ever seen before.

"Looks like a troll foot, but I can't be sure," Buffy replied. "I never did do well at Care of Magical Creatures. Still can't figure out why the teacher hated me so much."

"You didn't mouth off at him or anything, did you?" Dawn asked.

"Not on purpose," Buffy replied as they descended the stairs, heading to the kitchen.

The room was dominated by a large, scrubbed wooden table surrounded by chairs. Buffy surmised that this particular room was where the Order meetings took place, and where she would be spending a fair amount of her time. The stove was archaic, but at least the sink looked like it had running water.

"Old school much?" Dawn asked, looking around.

"Everything's done by magic," Buffy replied. "Witches and wizards don't need electricity or anything like that."

"I don't like it," Dawn said, wrinkling her nose as footsteps began descending the stairs. Buffy and Dawn both turned to see a tall, slim man with shoulder length black hair dressed in wizard's robes. He looked gaunt, tired and haunted, as if he had seen horrors in his life and had yet to get over them. His dark eyes narrowed at the two girls suspiciously.

"Who are you?" he asked. "And what are you doing in my house?"

"Relax, Sirius," Molly said, coming up behind him, followed by four redheaded children and one brunette girl. "This is Buffy Summers and her sister, Dawn. They're part of what was discussed at the last meeting."

The five children perked up a little at the mention of the meeting, craning their necks to get a good look at the two newcomers. Sirius looked at the two girls sceptically before sitting down at the table. As everyone else followed suit, the five children stared at their new guests, curiosity written all over their faces.

"It's rude to stare, y'know," Dawn said, eyes narrowing at the people blatantly staring at them.

"Dawn!" Buffy exclaimed. "Be _nice_."

"What? They can be rude, but I can't?" Dawn asked. "That's so not fair."

"No, they can't be rude," Molly said, looking pointedly at her children. The four redheads averted their gazes, but the brunette girl and the black-haired man did not.

"Who are you?" the girl asked, curious.

"Buffy Summers. This is my sister, Dawn," Buffy replied.

"Who are you?" asked Dawn, crossing her arms.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione replied. She began pointing out everyone else. "These are Ron, Fred, George and Ginny Weasley and Sirius Black."

"Nice to meet you all," Buffy said, before she kicked Dawn under the table.

"Yeah, sure, nice to meet you," Dawn grumbled. Buffy made a mental note to ask Dawn about it later, but now was definitely not the time.

"Why are you joining the Order?" Hermione asked. "You don't look old enough to be in the Order."

"Appearances can be deceiving, as I'm pretty sure you've found out," Buffy replied pointedly. Hermione was about to open her mouth again when one of the redheaded boys, Ron Buffy was sure, kicked her underneath the table. Hermione snapped her mouth shut and glared at her friend, and Buffy was quite certain there would be fireworks later.

It was Xander and Cordelia all over again, she was certain.

"Let's just have a nice, quiet meal, shall we?" Molly suggested brightly, although there was a glint in her eye that said it was far from a suggestion, and that they should eat quietly if they knew what was good for them. "Then you can go back and finish cleaning out that drawing room you were working on."

Mumbled agreements were made and they dug into their lunch – sandwiches and pumpkin juice with a simple vegetable plate – although sidelong glances were made at the two American newcomers. Lunch was quiet and tense for several minutes until Ron asked another question.

"So, are you going to be our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" he asked. It was all she could do not to choke on her sandwich trying to bite back the laughter. As it was, she coughed a few times to cover up the guffaws that were threatening to come though.

"No, no, definitely not," Buffy replied. "I'm definitely not teaching material. Besides, I never finished school. Got my OWLs but never got to take my NEWTs. Had to go home before I could sit those and never really got a chance to after that. Come to think of it, I never even got my OWLs results. I need to talk to Professor Dumbledore about that."

It looked like Hermione was about to follow up on Ron's question with one of her own, but Buffy held up a hand to silence her. She had heard something, sensed something in the house, and she wasn't sure if she liked it. It had been years since she had been anywhere near the wizarding world, but she had slipped into identifying the different feelings she got almost immediately. The person who had entered the house was a supernatural being, although she wasn't quite sure what it was.

Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs and soon a man with greying hair and tired eyes, wearing rather shabby looking robes. Hazel eyes locked onto another pair of hazel eyes, and the two predators stared each other down.

"Werewolf," Buffy said, breaking the tense silence.

"Slayer," the man said, breathing deeply. "You're not here for me, are you?"

"Depends," Buffy replied.

"On what?" the man asked warily.

"Are you now, ever have been or plan to be evil?" Buffy asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"No," the man replied, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"Then I'm not here for you," Buffy replied as she stood, holding out her hand as her face broke out into a warm smile. "Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer."

"Remus Lupin, werewolf," the man, Remus, introduced himself.

"Wait a second here," Sirius said, looking from Remus to Buffy and then back to Remus. "What's going on here?"

"She's the Vampire Slayer," Remus replied with a shrug.

"And that's supposed to mean what to me?" Sirius asked. Everyone else was looking at her curiously, until Hermione's eyes brightened after a moment.

"Slayer, comma The," she began without being prompted. "In every generation a girl is Chosen, given the strength and skills to hunt the vampires, demons and forces of darkness. She is The Slayer."

"Huh, she's like a mini-Giles," Dawn remarked.

"This still doesn't explain why you're here," Sirius said.

"Professor Dumbledore believes that Voldemort," Buffy began, and snorted when everyone in the room flinched, "might not just have witches and wizards in his army, and was hoping I could give some insight on what kinds of demons and vampires he might try to recruit. And, well, I have some close, personal information about him."

"You're not scared of saying the name," Ron remarked, looking pale.

"It's just a name," Buffy replied with a shrug. "I can't really call him Tom anymore, seeing as he's nothing like the charming and handsome but also manipulative and jealous Slytherin he used to be."

"How would you know that?" Sirius asked, narrowing his eyes at Buffy slightly.

"Dumbledore told me," Buffy replied quickly with a shrug, unwilling to divulge her connection with Tom just yet. Although, if she thought about it, divulging that connection to these people would be a very bad thing – it sounded bad, their newest member being Voldemort's – Tom's – former girlfriend.

"But you just said…" Hermione began, but trailed off when she caught the look Molly was giving her.

"Now, how about we finish our lunch and then the children can go back to cleaning?" she suggested brightly, although there was a gleam in her eye that left no room for argument. Buffy sighed – it looked like she would have to confer with Dumbledore again to get her cover story straight. Same with Dawn, but there would probably be some time before the meeting that evening to speak to him about it.

The rest of the meal passed rather quietly and uneventfully and before long the children, sans Dawn, were filing out, grumbling about having to clean.

"Here, let me help you clean up," Buffy said, grabbing a couple of the empty platters from the table and taking them up to the sink to be cleaned.

"Why thank you Buffy, that's very thoughtful of you," Molly said thankfully. "Hermione, why don't you take Buffy and Dawn up to their room? It's right across the hall from the one you share with Ginny."

"Of course, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said, sounding grateful, probably because she was getting out of cleaning. Buffy would be too; she didn't particularly like scrubbing anything, and she was sure that these kids weren't allowed to use magic to do their chores, which would make it doubly unpleasant. As they ascended the stairs, though, Buffy was incorrect in her assumption, because as soon as they were out of earshot of the kitchen, Hermione started peppering them with questions.

"I knew I recognized your name – I've read all about you. Are you really the longest-living Slayer in existence?" Hermione asked.

"Um, maybe?" Buffy replied. She'd been told this, yes, but she wasn't entirely sure how old Nikki Wood had been before Spike had killed her. After all, Robin had been three or four when his mother had died, if she remembered correctly.

"What kinds of demons have you encountered?" Hermione asked.

"That's something you need to ask my Watcher," Buffy replied. "He just usually told me what it looked like, how to kill it and pointed me in the right direction."

"Isn't there only supposed to be one Slayer at a time?" Hermione asked as she led them through the house. "I mean, not that we're not thankful you're here, because we are, but shouldn't you be defending the Hellmouth or some other mystical convergence?"

"Things have changed since that book you read was published," Buffy said. "Things are completely different from what they were, which makes it possible for me to fight the good fight from here."

"But you said you were a Hogwarts student. Neither Slayers nor Potential Slayers are able to attend Hogwarts, the Watcher's Council won't allow it," Hermione continued. "Besides that, you can't be that much older than Harry, Ron or myself. Even if you are older than you seem, you must have attended at the same time as the twins and they don't seem to remember you, either."

"Think about when you were in first year. Were you aware of the people outside of your year? Besides your friends' siblings, that is," Buffy asked. Hermione thought about it for a moment, before she shook her head. "Besides that, I'm not going to tell you when I attended Hogwarts. Looking at school records won't help either, because I think the only publicly listed names are the people who completed all seven years there."

"Are you a Slayer too, then?" Hermione asked Dawn. "I haven't read very much about what kind of connection siblings have to the Slayer line."

"Nope, just a normal, human girl," Dawn replied blandly. "Well, with some magic ability, but still, just a normal, human girl."

"Do you use a wand?" Hermione asked.

"I didn't even know there was such thing until wand magic until Bumblebee man came to the house this morning," Dawn replied, shooting a pointed look at Buffy.

"Yes, we're long overdue to do the while talking thing," Buffy replied.

"Which is good, because we're at the room," Hermione said. Buffy and Dawn entered the room and Hermione stood at the door, shifting her weight from one foot to the other nervously.

"You've still got a ton of questions, don't you?" Buffy asked. Hermione nodded eagerly. "We've got lots of time during the summer for you to pick my brain. Ew, brain picking. Is that worse than nose picking?"

"I don't know, Buffy," Dawn said with a laugh, shaking her head.

"Well, anyway, you have questions, I'll try to answer them," Buffy replied. "Just… not now. Maybe at dinner?"

"That will be after the meeting tonight, but I think I can wait," Hermione said with an eager nod. "See you then!"

"She's just like Quentin used to be when he first found out about the Slayer-ness," Buffy said with a sad sigh once the door was closed and she was sure Hermione was out of earshot. She missed her best friend from the wizarding world, and she wondered, briefly, if he was still alive. Dumbledore had, after all, only said that he had disappeared in the '60's. Disappeared didn't mean dead, right? "So, you have questions, but first I want to ask you something. What's your problem?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Dawn replied.

"Oh please, you were totally reverting back to brat there," Buffy retorted with a snort. "What's the deal?"

"I just… I don't like the idea of all of these secrets you've kept," Dawn said with a sigh. "You had this whole other life that none of us knew about and, I don't know, I felt left out."

"Well, you're going to get the whole deal, right now," Buffy replied. "So start asking."

Dawn grinned at her sister before peppering her with questions, getting into the nitty-gritty details that she hadn't gone into with Giles and Dumbledore.

XOXOXO

Buffy and Dawn were still talking, laughing about the pineapple incident, when someone knocked at the door. Dawn got up to answer it, revealing Sirius standing in the hallway.

"I'm here to get your sister for the meeting," he said gruffly.

"What am I supposed to do while she's in this meeting thing?" Dawn asked, curious.

"Hang out with the other children, I suppose," Sirius replied. "Harry's just arrived. I'm sure he'd like to meet you."

"Why can't I sit in on the meeting?" Dawn asked, pouting a little. "I got to be a part of the Slayer meetings and stuff."

"You're not old enough," Sirius replied. Dawn looked at Buffy, imploringly.

"Sorry Dawn. If the other kids can't be a part of it, you can't either," Buffy replied. "Besides, it's probably going like the research sessions back in Sunnydale. Y'know, long, dull and boring."

"Okay, fine," Dawn said with a pout. "But I'm not going to like it."

"You'll be in good company, then, because the other children don't like being left out, either," Sirius said with a reassuring smile.

"Come on, let's get going already," Buffy said, growing antsy. She could hear and sense many people downstairs and she was itching to see if she knew anyone in the Order.

"Yes, let's," Sirius said before leading them down the stairs. Buffy and Sirius left Dawn with the Gryffindors, where they were watching everyone arrive from their vantage point on the stairs before heading down to join the throng of people trying to go down the stairs to the kitchen.

As soon as she got to the bottom of the stairs she heard someone calling her name, a somewhat familiar Scottish brogue filled with surprise.

"Buffy?"

She turned and smiled at the older woman who had called her name. While she didn't look a lot like the seventeen year old she had left behind, but there was a sparkle in her eyes that hadn't changed a bit.

"Hi Minnie," Buffy greeted quietly. Everyone in the room watched as the two women, one old and one young, approached each other. In another moment, a roomful of people was shocked into complete silence as they hugged each other tightly, tears beginning to flow down the older woman's face.

"Where did you go?" Minerva whispered, holding the shorter girl tightly, as if she were going to disappear if she let go. "Why haven't you changed?"

"Long story," Buffy replied. "Long, _long _story, one we definitely don't have time for right now. How about you introduce me to everyone, huh?"

"I think that can be arranged," Minerva replied, and she began making the rounds, shaking people out of their shock when they were introduced to Buffy. They were almost finished with the rounds when an older man entered the room, his heavily scarred face housing a pair of mismatched eyes. "Alastor! Buffy, this is Alastor Moody, one of the top –"

"Buffy?" Alastor asked, his normal eye widening when he spotted her. "Is that really you?"

XOXOXO

**Chapter two DONE. The Moody thing will be explained next chapter, I promise.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dawn waved shyly at the six British witches and wizards who were currently staring at her, five of whom she had met during lunch, but one, a dark haired boy with green eyes and glasses was a new addition to the group. Trying to make a good impression, she stuck out her hand and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Dawn Summers," she said. "You must be Harry, because you're here, and you weren't here before, and you're the only teenager that's supposed to show up tonight, and so… yeah. Hi!"

"Hello," Harry said bemusedly, shaking the proffered hand. "Dawn, was it?"

"Yep," Dawn agreed with a nod. "So, what are we doing up here?"

"Trying to hear what the adults are saying," one of the twins replied. It was then that she noticed the long, fleshy tube hanging from his ear.

"What the hell is _that_?" she asked, pointing to the tube.

"Extendable Ear," the twin replied. "Not like it'll do much right now, there's an Imperturbable Charm on the door. Here, watch."

The twin – Dawn hadn't figured out how to tell them apart yet – chucked something at the kitchen door. It bounced off of an invisible shield, landing a few feet away.

"Making up theories is way more fun anyway," Dawn said with a shrug.

"So, how do you fit into all of this?" Harry asked, curious.

"My sister's a member of the Order," Dawn replied. "Well, she's going to be. Tonight's her first meeting. We're staying here for at least the summer. Then I don't know."

"Are you a witch?" Harry asked.

"Are you going to stop talking to me if I tell you I'm not?" Dawn asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. Buffy had told her about how some witches and wizards, especially ones born into wizarding families, looked down on people who weren't magically inclined.

"No," Harry replied, sounding a little mortified. "What made you think that?"

"The magical supremacy crap my sister told me about," Dawn replied with a shrug. "She said even the half-bloods were getting down on the kids who didn't have magical families."

"How long ago did your sister attend?" Hermione asked. "Because that behaviour hasn't been seen in years."

"I'm not allowed to tell you guys," Dawn replied. "If she wants to say, fine, but since it's not my secret to tell I'm not going to."

"Her sister's the vampire slayer," Ron said, his voice a little awestruck.

"And you wouldn't have known what a vampire slayer was until I told you," Hermione said with a sniff.

"What's a vampire slayer?" Harry asked, curious.

"One girl in all the world with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, demons and the forces of darkness," Dawn replied instantly. The six teenagers stared at her for a moment. "What? I've heard Giles say the speech so many times I know it off by heart now. Well, except it's not really true anymore."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. "Your sister said things had changed, but she didn't tell me how."

"It's a long story, but I think we've got the time," Dawn said, and she began telling the story about the fall of Sunnydale.

XOXOXO

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" Buffy asked, examining the man in front of her. His eyes, well, eye, was a little familiar, but the soul behind it was battle-hardened, not like the sweet, eager boy she had known. She wasn't very close to many people at Hogwarts, sticking with her insular group of Gryffindors and one Slytherin. Terrence was dead and Tom was Voldemort, so unless one of the girls had gone through a sex change, that only left one possibility. Dumbledore hadn't said he was dead, just disappeared. "Quentin?"

"Goin' by Alastor Moody now, but yeah," Moody replied. In another moment that shocked the room, including Buffy, the person they knew as Mad-Eye Moody, one of the most feared Aurors in the entire Ministry, both past and present, wrapped the tiny slayer in a tight hug. "You have no idea how long I've waited to do that again."

"That's great, but I think you're scaring everyone, and not in a good way," Buffy said with a laugh as she released the old man that had once been her best friend. The years had not been kind to him; working as an Auror must have been a hard life, if his appearance was anything to go by.

"You and I are going to have a long talk about where you went," Moody said.

"And you and I are going to have a long talk about the name change and the whole disappearing act," Buffy retorted. "What am I supposed to call you, anyway?"

"Alastor's fine, unless you really want to call me Quentin," Alastor replied with a shrug. "Probably won't answer half the time, but if you're sticking around I'll get used to it."

"I'll stick with Alastor," Buffy said. "Less confusing."

"As important as reconnecting with old friends is, I believe we have more pressing matters to attend to," Dumbledore said from his position at the head of the table.

"Sorry Professor."

"Sorry, Dumbledore."

"My apologies, Albus."

"Now then, I would like to start off by welcoming our newest member to the Order, Buffy Summers," Dumbledore began. "She is a former resident of Sunnydale, California, until it sunk into the earth."

"What are her qualifications?" asked a man sitting in a dark corner, a dark scowl on his face. "Besides her obvious but rather puzzling connections with current Order members, that is."

"Longest-lived Vampire Slayer in history at your service," Buffy replied, garnering a gasp from Minerva. Buffy winced, but this wasn't the time to go hashing out that facet of her life. "At least, so I've been told. Haven't actually had the time to look that up yet. I bring to the table my ass-kicking expertise and knowledge of various nasty beasties that go bump in the night. What have you got, besides being tall, dark and surly?"

"Don't poke the snake, Buffy," Moody murmured in her ear. "He might bite back."

There were a few titters around the room as the dark man's scowl deepened. Buffy stuck her tongue out at him, before turning her attention back to Dumbledore.

"Miss Summers brings a unique set of skills and knowledge to our group that will bring us closer in orchestrating Voldemort's downfall," Dumbledore said. "Now, are we finished with the juvenile sniping? I'm sure we would all like to get out of here before midnight."

After a few token grumbles, Dumbledore was able to finally begin the meeting in earnest, listening to reports and giving out assignments.

XOXOXO

"So you've really fought vampires?" Ron asked.

"One or two," Dawn replied. "Most of the time I'm research girl because I don't really have the extra perks of being a mystically enhanced chosen person. I got to be last-ditch cavalry, but with the way my sister worked, they almost never got to me, and I was usually with Xander or Giles anyway, and they've got experience fighting the demons."

"And you did this without any magical augmentation?" Hermione asked, curious.

"Unless Willow was working the mojo without my knowledge, no," Dawn replied with a shrug. "But as I said, I was usually research girl. Killing demons is usually too dangerous for the Slayer's little sister." There was a note of bitterness that wasn't lost on the Gryffindors, but none of them said anything. They didn't want to upset their new guest and possibly new friend, although they needn't have worried, not with the bright smile that appeared across her face a moment later. "So, what's Hogwarts like? Buffy told me a little bit, but it's been a while since she's been so I want to know what it's like now."

"Well, it's a magic school in a castle in the middle of Scotland," one of the twins, Dawn thought it was George – if only they hadn't dressed identically! – said with a shrug. "Basic classes are taught, like Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Astronomy, Defence Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic. After third year there's more courses you can take, and after fifth year exams you get to pick what classes will help in whatever career you decide to do in the future."

"Is History of Magic still taught by a ghost?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, but it's no where near as fun as you'd think," Harry replied. "He's so boring his voice sends me straight to sleep."

"Yeah, Buffy had that problem too," Dawn said with a grin. "She had to borrow Quentin's notes more than once. Does Professor Slughorn still teach Potions?"

"No, that's taught by Professor Snape," Hermione replied. "Professor Slughorn hasn't taught since the 1980's."

All six of them stared at her, curious expressions on their faces. It occurred to Dawn just then that they had given them a huge hint as to when Buffy _hadn't_been a student at Hogwarts.

"Oops?" Dawn asked sheepishly, before she was assaulted with questions.

XOXOXO

The rest of the Order was filing out when Minerva and Moody pulled Buffy to the side, away from prying ears, conversing in hushed tones. The way the two adults stood together made Buffy think that they hadn't been close in years; there was an awkwardness between them that hadn't been there when they had been in school. At least, not something Buffy had noticed. Then again, Buffy was sure that Minerva hadn't known about the Alastor/Quentin switcheroo; at least, she didn't give any indication she did, seeming just as surprised as Buffy when he admitted he was, in fact, formerly known as Quentin Trimble.

"We need to talk," Minerva said briskly.

"That's an understatement," Moody grumbled, casting an eye to the rest of the room.

"What has Dumbledore told you?" Buffy asked, curious. She felt a little strange, speaking with these two as if they were still friends, equals, even though it seemed to everyone in the room that Buffy was completely outstripped in age and experience by her two rediscovered friends.

"Not very much," Minerva replied. "Even after all of these years, Albus maintains only that you were closer to home. He didn't say where home was. Or, rather, when."

"Would you believe me if I said I was a portal-hopping, time travelling Vampire Slayer that got dropped onto the Hogwarts grounds without any way to get home?" Buffy asked, rather meekly. "At least, Dumbledore was unwilling to use any way that could get me home because it was way too risky. He'd rather keep me alive, for which I'm eternally grateful. Malfoy obviously had no objection to that."

"At this juncture, I'm willing to believe anything," Minerva replied. "I still can't believe you're _that_Buffy Summers. Your story was in the Prophet, you know. A small piece, no picture or anything so we couldn't confirm it was you, but the fall of Sunnydale was reported over here. Why didn't you tell any of us you were the Slayer?"

"I was going to," Buffy said sheepishly. "Before summer holidays, before I moved in with everyone. And not everyone was in the dark." She pointed to Moody. "He knew. He followed me into the forest when I sensed a vampire on Halloween, so I really didn't have a choice but to tell him. And Tom. And Hagrid. Couldn't really pass it off as a mass hallucination or something."

"Well, I don't like that you were keeping secrets for so long," Minerva said with a sniff.

"If I had it my way, _none_of you would have known," Buffy retorted. Moody and Minerva both looked a little surprised and somewhat hurt at that declaration. "I wanted to keep my slaying life separate from my school life, like it was supposed to be. It was my luck that I had three overprotective boys who decided to follow me into the forest."

"So, you're really a time travelling Vampire Slayer, eh?" Moody asked with a smirk. "How does that work?"

"It's June, 1998. I'm fighting Angelus as Acathla's portal is opening. To close it, I have to shove him in. Did that, portal closed, backlash sent me to Hogwarts. I met you guys and the rest is history," Buffy replied.

Just then, Molly was leading the children into the kitchen, joined by yet another one, this one with black hair and glasses. _That's gotta be Harry,_ Buffy thought as the Weasley children zoned in on her location. All six Hogwarts students were making a beeline towards her, with Dawn trailing behind with an apologetic look on her face.

"And I believe that is our cue to adjourn this conversation for another time," Minerva said. "You and I still need to have a long, uninterrupted conversation. Maybe I'll get Augusta in on this – Merlin knows I haven't seen her in a while, and she'll never believe this unless she sees it."

"Sure," Buffy said with a gulp. "Looking forward to it."

With a sympathetic smile from both of her friends, they made a hasty exit just as the Gryffindor hoarde descended on her, chattering all at once. It was Dawn's voice that rose above all of them, getting Buffy's attention.

"I swear, I didn't mean to tell them, but I kinda sorta maybe let it slip who one of your teachers were and apparently he hasn't taught in for_ever_," Dawn said quickly in one breath, causing Buffy to scowl slightly.

"Which teacher was it?" Buffy asked.

"Professor Horace Slughorn," Hermione replied promptly. "Which means that you attended Hogwarts in 1980 at the latest."

"So, you're a vampire, then," Sirius said, joining the group and the conversation.

"Unless you're going to add the word slayer after the word vampire, you're so wrong," Buffy retorted. "Not a vampire. You can even ask Dumbledore – he saw me in the sunlight today and I didn't turn into a flambé or anything."

"Then how do you explain the fact that you were taught by Horace Slughorn, even though he hasn't taught at Hogwarts since the early 1980's?" Hermione asked, perplexed.

"Would you believe me if I said I look this young because I moisturise and get a good night's rest?" Buffy asked hopefully. The teenagers, and everyone else in the room except for Dawn, started at her blankly. "Well, it was worth a shot. Can't you guys just accept that I'm here to help and not really pay attention to the help's past? I can perform magic, I can kick ass and I fight for the good side. Come on, Dumbledore vouches for me! Do you really need to know anything else?"

"He also vouches for Snape, and he's a murdering Death Eater," Sirius grumbled.

"Former murdering Death Eater," Remus reminded him, and Sirius scowled.

"Same difference," Sirius said.

"So, how about some dinner?" Molly said brightly, changing the subject. Buffy could hear the rumblings of a few stomachs and heartily agreed it was time for something to eat, even though her stomach felt like it was twisting in knots a little. The prospect of these people finding out what time she had come from and who, exactly, she spent her time with, was something she didn't want to fathom.

"Excellent idea, Molly," a tall, redheaded man said as he turned his attention to Dawn, sticking his hand out to shake. "I'm sorry, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Arthur Weasley, Molly's husband."

"Hi, I'm Dawn, Buffy's sister," Dawn replied, shaking the man's hand.

"So, you grew up as a Muggle?" Arthur asked as he pulled up a chair next to Dawn.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Dawn asked, getting defensive. Buffy winced inwardly; now, she kind of wished she hadn't told her sister about the attitude towards Muggles some pureblooded wizards had.

"No, no, not at all! I find Muggles absolutely fascinating," Arthur replied. Before Dawn knew what had hit her, Arthur was bombarding Dawn with questions about Muggle life, and how it was different for American Muggles as opposed to British Muggles.

"For once, I'm glad that's not me," Hermione said as she sat down next to Buffy. Buffy looked at the brunette witch cautiously; she had that sparkle in her eye Quentin used to get when he had found something fascinating and he wanted to know all about it.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to feel exactly how Dawn's feeling right now?" Buffy asked warily, chancing a glance at her sister. While she looked a little bewildered, she was smiling as she tried to explain and answer each and every rapid fire question thrown at her.

"Oh please, I won't be that bad," Hermione said with a scoff.

"I don't know, you remind me a lot of my best friend, and when he found something he wanted to know about, there wasn't much anyone could do but sit back and answer the questions," Buffy replied. "Well, except for that one time a seventh year hexed him when he was in first because he had the gall to ask for help in Potions."

"That's horrible!" Hermione said.

"I think it might have been a Slytherin," Buffy replied. "I don't know, I wasn't there, and Quentin didn't give me any more details. So, questions. Ask and ye shall get answers. Mostly, anyway."

"You're going to regret that in a minute," said a boy with a smile. He was an addition from the rest of the people she had met earlier that afternoon.

"I don't think I know you," Buffy said, taking in the boy's appearance. "Harry, right?"

"What was your first clue?" he asked, his demeanour turning sour in an instant.

"Well, you weren't here earlier, and since Harry Potter was the only teenager expected to arrive tonight, I was pretty sure you were the said Harry Potter," Buffy replied. "Why, aren't you Harry Potter?"

"Oh," Harry said, immediately apologetic. "I mean, yeah, I'm Harry Potter. You're Dawn's sister, right? Buffy?"

"Pleased to meet you, Harry," Buffy said with a smile before turning her attention back to Hermione as she wasted no time in peppering her with questions, many of which she could answer with relative ease.

Although, about halfway through dinner, Buffy was rather tempted to give her Giles' address so that he could answer many of Hermione's questions that she could not.

XOXOXO

The next few days passed rather uneventfully, although Buffy was beginning a little tired of being stared at as if she were a foreign species or something. She sort of was, if she thought about it, but that didn't mean she liked being stared at.

One of the afternoons found her going through her trunks and unpacking everything, including the ones that Giles had added to their luggage. She wasn't surprised when she found two trunkfuls of books.

What was surprising, however, was the kind of books were in the trunks. There were many copies of a few books, all of which were beginner's guides to demon identification. Curious, Buffy picked up a couple of the different books and began flipping through them, wondering why Giles had given her so many copies of a few books. She could probably ask Giles about it; after all, he must have known what was going on, if he'd been able to get all of those books together. It must have been one of the things he and Dumbledore had talked about while she and Dawn had been packing.

While yes, she could have asked Giles about it, there were a few things that she needed to talk to Dumbledore about. With that thought in mind, she set out to track down a quill, ink, some parchment, and an owl.

XOXOXO

Wow. Just… wow. I'm shocked and extremely pleased at the reaction and response to this fic. Thank you, everyone, who has read and reviewed so far.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Dumbledore's return owl had been received a scant few hours later, but it held no answers to Buffy's questions. Instead, it had an invitation for her and Dawn to join him for tea, at Hogwarts, the next afternoon if they were available. He would be there to pick them up at 2:00 p.m. once he received her owl to confirm. Scribbling a note on the back of Dumbledore's letter saying yes, she'd like to come and meet with him, and if she could manage to get Dawn away from the other teenagers in the house long enough, she'd bring her along as well.

After the school owl had been sent off, Buffy set out to find Dawn, because she knew the sooner she was able to ask Dawn whether or not she wanted to come to Hogwarts, the better. And if she could get her alone when she asked, all the better.

Besides, if Buffy knew her sister at all, Dawn would probably squeal happily and agree without question to a trip to Hogwarts.

She followed the sounds of young voices to one of the drawing rooms on the second floor. Dawn had soon figured out that the only way she could spend time with anyone near her age, she had to participate in cleaning the house and ridding it of anything nasty. Buffy had been cleaning as well, although this afternoon she had decided that they had been living out of their trunks long enough.

"Hey Dawn, can I talk to you for a sec?" Buffy asked after she had poked her head into the room. The teenagers were spraying the drapes with… something, and little hairy fairies kept falling to the floor.

"Yeah, sure," Dawn replied, putting her spray bottle down and skipping over to the door. Buffy pulled Dawn into the hallway, closing the door behind them so that they couldn't be overheard. "Okay, so what do you need to talk to me about that you can't do in front of the others?"

"I got a letter. From Dumbledore," Buffy replied.

"Yeah, and?" Dawn asked.

"I sent him one first, 'cause I wanted to get some answers to some questions I had, but anyway. He's asked us to come up to Hogwarts tomorrow for afternoon tea," Buffy replied. "You wanna go with me?"

"I think that's a big, resounding duh right there," Dawn replied, grinning manically.

"Okay, great," Buffy replied. "He'll be here to get us around two tomorrow."

"Sounds awesome," Dawn said. "Oh, by the way, Mrs. Weasley was looking for you. I think there was something in a trunk in one of the rooms and she wanted to see if you could help her out with it."

"Okay, I'll go track her down," Buffy replied. As she began to walk away, she turned back to Dawn. "Oh, and Dawn?"

"Yeah, Buffy?" Dawn asked.

"If your friends were eavesdropping, give them hell for me," Buffy said before she turned and headed down the stairs on the search for Molly.

Dawn turned and headed back to the room, closing the door behind her after she had entered. She was faced with a group of British teenagers, clustered around a few of the Extendable Ears. She looked down, and sure enough, the ends of three long, fleshy tubes were placed at the space between the bottom of the door and the floor. She looked up at the Weasleys, Hermione and Harry, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

"You guys know eavesdropping is kinda rude, right?" she asked.

"Why do you get to talk to Dumbledore?" asked Harry.

"I'm sure you heard, but Buffy wrote to Dumbledore with some questions, and he invited her to come to Hogwarts, probably so he could answer them," Dawn replied.

"But why do you get to go?" Harry asked.

"No idea," Dawn replied with a shrug. "Could be that Bumblebee man thought I might want me to see where Buffy went to school. Could also be that he wants to see if I have the aptitude to do magic. Could really be that it's none of your business and I feel kinda violated that you, you know, decided that mine and Buffy's privacy was worth squat."

"So, when we're doing it to the Order meetings you're fine with it, but when it comes to your own privacy it's a bad thing?" Harry asked.

"The Order involves you and involves people you care about, and probably what you're going to end up fighting in a year or two, so yeah, you should at least kind of know what's going on. I used to eavesdrop on Slayer meetings all the time," Dawn replied. "Not that they tried really hard to hide it, but whatever. But conversations between me and my sister have nothing to do with you and therefore aren't your business. So back off, hormone bomb. Not everything is about you."

Harry's eyes flashed, and he was about to open his mouth to say something else when Ginny put her hand on his arm.

"Let's just get back to cleaning, all right?" she said. Harry shook her off and, with one last glare in Dawn's direction, went back to spraying Doxycide on the drapes.

To be safe, Dawn stayed on the other side of the room.

XOXOXO

Buffy found Molly in one of the bedrooms that wasn't being used. When she entered, it was a sight that she hadn't ever expected to see. A bloody and obviously dead Arthur Weasley lay in the middle of the floor and Molly cowered in the corner, her want pointed at it.

"R-Ridikkulus!" she said, and the dead Arthur transformed into a dead Ron. _Boggart,_ Buffy thought as she entered the room fully. The Boggart turned its attention to Buffy and immediately transformed into Tom. However, his face was distorted into that of a vampire.

"Riddikulus!" Buffy said, pointing her wand at him. The Boggart tripped over his feet and fell flat on his face, causing Buffy to laugh just hard enough for it to disappear into a wisp of smoke. She turned to Molly, who was still in her corner, her eyes wide. "Are you okay?"

"Yes dear, fine," Molly replied, although she still seemed very pale and shaken as she came out of the corner.

"Do you want me to make you a cup of tea to calm you down?" Buffy asked.

"No offense meant, dear, but I don't think I'd trust an American to brew a proper cup of English tea," Molly said.

"Well, it's been a while, but Terrence made me learn how to do it," Buffy said as Molly led them into the kitchen. "Said no sister of his could get away with not knowing. That, and Giles taught me how to do it."

"Giles was your Watcher?" Molly asked.

"Yep," Buffy replied. "Closest thing to a father I had, after my real dad split with my mom. He's been my mentor for years, and I was living with him with my sister before Dumbledore asked me to come here."

"Why isn't he here with you?" Molly asked.

"Well, I'm pretty sure it's because he has to help rebuild the Watcher's Council," Buffy replied. "After the First blew it up, killing most of the Watchers in residence, there aren't very many senior Watchers anymore. He's trying to round the rest of them up, the ones who weren't killed by the Bringers or were retired before all of this happened."

They reached the kitchen and Buffy set about getting the tea things together, Molly gently guiding her to where the various things in the kitchen were as she regarded the strange little American girl in front of her. There really wasn't much to be found about her, except for that article in the Daily Prophet and a passing reference in some rather obscure books. Nothing that the average Hogwarts student, or even the average person, would read.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Molly asked, curious.

"I think that being honest about most of the important things up front will save me a lot of trouble later," Buffy replied. "I kept a lot of big secrets during my time in Hogwarts, and it went and bit me in the ass later on. I really don't want that to happen again."

"I didn't catch what year you went to Hogwarts," Molly said mildly.

"I didn't tell anyone," Buffy replied. "And I'm not going to tell anyone anything until I talk to Dumbledore tomorrow. Is it really that important, though?"

"No, I suppose not," Molly replied. "Although, I must warn you, as wonderful those children of mine are, they are very inquisitive, and they like solving mysteries. And you, and your sister, are two of the biggest mysteries to come along lately."

"I'll keep that in mind," Buffy said. "Hopefully I won't have to keep too much from them, 'cause, you know, you guys are supposed to be able to trust me."

"The adults trust you. Your record is enough to do that, even without the endorsement of Dumbledore. We've allowed shadier characters in the Order," Molly replied as Buffy placed the brewed cup of tea in front of her. "Thank you, dear."

"So, shady characters," Buffy said as she sat across from Molly. "You were talking about tall, dark and surly, weren't you?"

"Professor Snape? Yes, he's definitely not known for his people skills," Molly replied. "He teaches Potions at the school, head of Slytherin House. Now, dearie, I don't know the whole story, but Professor Snape was a Death Eater. Something happened, and he turned himself in to Dumbledore. Instead of turning him into the Ministry and sending him off to Azkaban prison, Dumbledore decided to use Snape to benefit the Order. You-Know-Who didn't know that Snape had defected, and now we had an excellent spy for the Order."

"The Death Eaters, they're To- I mean, Voldemort's supporters?" Buffy asked. Molly flinched at the name, and Buffy immediately knew she had said something wrong. "Whoops. I'm not supposed to say that name, aren't I?"

"Not many do," Molly replied. She took another sip of her tea. "This is quite good, actually."

"Thanks," Buffy replied. "So, Nameless Guy's supporters?"

"I don't think I've ever heard him called that," Molly said with a slight laugh. "But yes, the Death Eaters were You-Know-Who's supporters. Mostly purebloods, old, influential families. The ones that weren't were seduced by the power offered by You-Know-Who. They all wanted one thing – a pureblood society and eradication of Muggles and Muggle-borns."

"Huh," Buffy said. She wondered what Tom's supporters would think if they knew he wasn't a pureblooded wizard. Thinking about it, she supposed it didn't really matter. Tom had always been charismatic and manipulative, always getting what he wanted in the end.

"During the height of his power in the late 1970's and early 1980's, it was a horrible time. You couldn't open the paper without reading about the deaths and destruction caused by You-Know-Who and his followers. It was a time of rejoicing when our Harry defeated him."

"How did he do it?" Buffy asked. She wondered how a one year old who was barely able to walk and talk was able to defeat someone as powerful as Voldemort claimed to be. It wasn't anything akin to hero worship – she was just thinking about the facts.

"No one really knows," Molly replied.

"Luck, then," Buffy said.

"Love, actually."

Buffy and Molly turned their attention to the figure now standing in the doorway, watching them. Harry Potter regarded Buffy with a curious expression, one she couldn't read with much ease. The way his green eyes bored into hers made her uncomfortable, and before long she looked away.

"Harry, dear, how long have you been standing there?" Molly asked brightly. "Would you like a cup of tea? Buffy makes an excellent brew and I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Nope, definitely no minding here," Buffy replied.

"No thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, offering a small smile to the redheaded woman. She smiled back as Harry turned his attention to Buffy. "I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind."

"If it's about my meeting with Dumbledore, it's none of your business," Buffy replied quickly. Harry looked at her, mildly surprised. "Please, you can't tell me with a straight face that you weren't eavesdropping. If I were you, I'd be curious too. Did Dawnie give you hell for it?"

"She rightly put us in our places, she did," Harry replied as he took a seat next to Mrs. Weasley, across from Buffy. "Called me a hormone bomb."

"That's my Dawnie," Buffy said with a touch of pride.

"All right, so the Dumbledore meeting is off limits, but I'd still like to talk to you," Harry said.

"Oh yeah?" Buffy asked. "What about?"

"Why are you here?" Harry asked.

"Harry, I don't think –" Molly began, but Buffy waved her off.

"It's fine, Molly," Buffy replied. She turned her attention back to Harry. "I'll give you the same rules as I did Hermione the other day. You can ask me anything you want, but if it gets to personal or I'm not allowed to divulge that information, I'm not going to answer your question. Sound fair?"

"All right," Harry said. "My first question stands. Why are you here?"

"Professor Dumbledore tracked me down and asked me to help out," Buffy replied. "He believes that the stuff I know will help with the stuff you know."

"And what kind of stuff do you know?" Harry asked.

"Vampires and demons, mostly, and how to slay them," Buffy replied. "I'm guessing you didn't learn a lot about demons and stuff in your Defence Against the Dark Arts classes?"

"No," Harry replied. "Mostly spells and dark creatures, but nothing as big as demons. We did do a unit on werewolves, though. What are your views on werewolves?"

"As an someone I know once said, as long as they're not humping my leg, we're five by five," Buffy said. Harry's face broke out into a small smile, but he reigned it in quickly. Molly, who had been watching them interact with a smile, put her teacup in the sink and quietly tip toed out of the kitchen to give the two heroes a little more privacy. Buffy couldn't help the grin that crossed her face when she heard Molly shooing people, probably the kids, from the door. "By the way, you guys really need to stop eavesdropping on every little thing."

"We're bored," Harry complained. "There's not much to do except clean and spy on the Order members. Oh, and homework, but only Hermione really wants to do that."

"I don't know, homework can be fun," Buffy said, before wrinkling her nose a little. "Except Charms. I can live without it. Barely passed my OWL on that one, I think."

"You think?" Harry asked. "You mean you don't know?"

"I got sent home before I got my OWL results so I have no idea what my marks were," Buffy replied. She knew she was giving him more ammunition to the mystery of Buffy Summers, but she hoped that he would use that information wisely and not go out and do something stupid. Like try to figure out her secrets and then regret what he and his friends found.

"How did you know we were eavesdropping on you and Dawn?" Harry asked, curious.

"Besides the fact that I know what curious teenagers do when they can overhear stuff?" Buffy asked. Harry had the good grace to look sheepish before Buffy gestured to her ears. "Slayer hearing. Wonderful thing to have when people are sneaking up on you or if you want to know if there's someone on the other side of the door, probably listening in."

"Why are you meeting with Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"It's not Order business, so it's not really any of your business," Buffy replied. Harry's face fell slightly and Buffy smiled sympathetically. "Look, I get it. You wanna know everything about everything. But some things you don't need to know. I asked him some questions, and he's hopefully going to answer with them. I have no idea why he didn't answer my questions with an owl, but I'm not going to complain. It's been ages since I've been to Hogwarts, and I kind of want to see if anything's changed, you know?"

"I suppose so," Harry said. "And the reason why he didn't send your answers in the post is that there's a risk of having our letters intercepted. Nothing is safe.

"Fair enough, fair enough," Buffy replied. "So, was there anything else you wanted to ask?"

"Yes, but nothing I think you'll answer," Harry replied. "It was nice talking to you."

"Nice talking to you, too," Buffy replied. "If you ever want to talk about that whole 'destiny hanging over your head' thing, I'm here for you."

"Good to know," Harry said, looking a little confused but nonetheless pleased. "I should go back to cleaning with the others."

"See you later," Buffy said with a wave as Harry got up and, with a small, grateful smile, left the kitchen.

**XOXOXO**

The next afternoon, as promised, Dumbledore came to pick up Dawn and Buffy for their appointment at Hogwarts. The entire time he was there, Dumbledore avoided Harry's gaze and attempts to catch his attention. It was another something that Buffy added to her ever growing list of questions she was compiling in her head.

"I thought that a side-along apparition would be acceptable for this trip," Dumbledore said when they had exited the house. He held out his arms, one for each Summers girl to hold on to. "Please, hold on tight and whatever you do, don't let go."

He glanced around, making sure that no one was watching, before disappearing with a small pop. Moments later, the trio reappeared at the gates to Hogwarts. Buffy and Dawn were a little disoriented, but recovered quickly when they spotted the castle.

"Home sweet home," Buffy murmured under her breath as Dawn's eyes bugged out of her head.

"You went to school _here_?" Dawn asked in awe.

"I did say I went to school in a castle," Buffy replied.

"I didn't think it was a huge castle," Dawn said.

"So, is Hagrid around?" Buffy asked. "I was really looking forward to seeing him."

"I'm afraid not, Buffy," Dumbledore replied. "He's on a mission."

"I hope he's okay," Buffy said, chewing on her lip.

"Hagrid is more than capable of taking care of himself," Dumbledore replied. Buffy still looked worried, but trusted Dumbledore's words. For now, anyway. "Come along, the walk up to the castle is a breathtaking one."

They began the trek up the path that led to Hogwarts, Dumbledore several paces ahead of the Summers sisters as Dawn took in her surroundings and Buffy smiled at her sister's amazement. She pointed out different landmarks around the grounds until they reached the castle.

"Wow," Dawn said as she looked up at the large doors in front of her.

"How about we go inside, hmmm?" Dumbledore suggested, gesturing to the doors.

"Good idea," Buffy said before turning to Dawn. "If you think the outside is awesome, you should see the inside."

The doors opened and they were admitted into the Entrance Hall. As soon as they entered, Buffy saw one familiar face, and another, older woman wearing a pointed, vulture topped hat. She watched as Minerva spotted her and whispered something to her companion and began making her way to her.

"Buffy!" Minerva said with a smile as she turned and crossed the Entrance Hall with a smile, wrapping Buffy in a hug. Once she released her, she turned her attention to Dawn. "And who's this?"

"Minnie, this is my sister, Dawn," Buffy said. "Dawn, this is Minerva, or Minnie, one of my best friends while I was here."

"Woah," Dawn said, blinking.

"Woah, what?" Buffy asked.

"It's just weird, you saying that you went to school with her and she's so old," Dawn replied. Minerva huffed, but there was a sparkle in her eye that indicated she was more amused than anything else.

"If you think she looks old, wait until you meet Quentin," Buffy said. "Wait, Alastor. He goes by Alastor now."

"You never mentioned you had a sister," Minerva said as she glanced over at Dawn once more.

"It's another long story," Buffy replied.

"We really, really, need to sit down and discuss everything that's gone on," Minerva said.

"You're telling me," Buffy said.

"Do you have a moment? There's someone I'd like you to see," Minerva said. Before Buffy could say anything, Minerva grabbed her arm and began leading her towards the woman with the vulture hat. She shot an apologetic smile over her shoulder and was met by an amused smile from Dumbledore and a curious expression from Dawn.

The woman in the vulture hat turned as Minerva and Buffy approached. The woman looked vaguely familiar, a lot older than the person she remembered, but that was becoming a normal occurrence around her these days. The woman's eyes widened and her face paled when she saw Buffy, as if she had seen a ghost and wasn't someone who was used to seeing them.

"August, you remember Buffy," Minerva said when they had gotten close enough.

"Hi," Buffy said with a weak wave as Augusta Longbottom's eyes rolled into the back of her head before she fainted dead away. "Huh, I don't usually have that kind of effect on people."

**XOXOXO**

So here's the latest chapter. And hey, it's a day early! Hope you all enjoy it, reviews are my crack .


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Augusta Longbottom, nee Smith, felt as if she was having a rather strange, but wonderful, dream. She had arrived at Hogwarts for her usual monthly tea with Minerva with little expectation to have her entire reality spun on its end. However, when she had arrived, Minerva had insisted that they hang around the Entrance Hall, as there was something Minerva had wanted to show her. Things were rather dull, the only interesting thing being that Augusta's hip was beginning to act up, until Dumbledore arrived with two young women, one, the brunette, looked like she was around her Neville's age, and the other, the blonde, looked awfully familiar. She must have been the daughter or granddaughter of one of her school friends or something. That, however, wasn't the most interesting thing that had happened. The most interesting thing was when Minerva had whispered to her that she would be right back before she went and embraced the blonde. Augusta watched as Minerva grabbed the blonde's arm and led her over to where she was standing. The closer she got, the more familiar the girl, young woman, looked.

No, this couldn't be possible. She had to be hallucinating.

She knew that letting Neville cook on his own that morning – the boy was improving, but if his skill in Potions was any indication, things were bound to go wrong - was a mistake. Something must have been mistakenly slipped into her breakfast. Or maybe it was Algie – the man hadn't outgrown his prankster streak, even though he was getting on in years, just like she was.

"August, you remember Buffy," Minerva said with a smile. Augusta had no idea what to say, no idea what to do, as she was faced with a young woman who should, by all accounts, look as old as her and Minerva, but in fact only looked a few years older than when she had disappeared into that portal after her exams had been completed.

"Hi," the Buffy look-alike said with a weak wave and a small smile.

The next thing Augusta Longbottom, nee Smith, remembered, was waking up in the hospital wing with Minerva sitting by her bed and Poppy bustling around her. She tried to sit up, but her actions were stilled by Poppy's hand on her shoulder.

"Give me a moment to check you over, you've had a little bit of a shock," Poppy said kindly, before turning on Minerva, her eyes flashing. "What were you _thinking, _Min, getting some chit who looked like that Summers girl to dress up and act like her? Do you have any idea how insane that is?"

"I can assure you, I am in possession of all of my mental faculties," Minerva replied primly, sitting up straighter. "What do you take me for, some imbecile? That was Buffy Summers."

"The Buffy Summers we knew would be much older," Augusta said. "That _child _you brought in couldn't have been Buffy Summers."

"Here's hoping Buffy doesn't kill me for telling you this," Minerva muttered before she turned her attention back to Poppy and Augusta, who were looking at her with rather rapt attention. "I have a rather interesting and unbelievable story to tell you…"

XOXOXO

"I still don't see why I couldn't be there when August woke up," Buffy said as Dumbledore led her and Dawn to the Headmaster's office on the seventh floor.

"The old girl isn't what she used to be and another shock like that might have put her in grave danger," Dumbledore said seriously. "You'll be able to go down and see her once Minerva has briefed her on everything she knows."

"Did you tell Minnie any more than what I told her?" Buffy asked.

"After she and Alastor confronted me after the meeting, I didn't have much of a choice but to tell them," Dumbledore replied. "I hope you can forgive me."

"These things needed to be said, and I wanted to do it before we started the trial runs, but stupid Malfoy and his stupid portal messed everything up," Buffy said with a grumble. "How's old Malfoy doing, anyway? Still evil?"

"He's dead," Dumbledore said gravely. "He succumbed to dragon pox fifteen years ago."

"Any kids?" Buffy asked.

"A son, Lucius, who bore him a grandson, Draco," Dumbledore replied. "If things go as planned, you will be teaching him and others come September."

"Teaching?" Buffy asked. "You want me to teach? Are you _insane_?"

"The Daily Prophet seems to think so, but I can assure you my mind is as sharp as it ever was," Dumbledore replied. "Come along, we have much to discuss."

"So that's why Giles gave you those trunks of books," Dawn remarked.

"You knew what was in those?" Buffy asked.

"Didn't you?" Dawn retorted.

"Not until last night when I started actually unpacking things," Buffy replied as Dumbledore had stopped in front of the large stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office. The Summers girls watched as Dumbledore leaned down and whispered something to the gargoyle, and Dawn gasped in delight when it jumped to the side, revealing the moving spiral staircase.

"Up we go," Dumbledore said, before he stepped on to the staircase. Buffy and Dawn followed suit and together all three of them headed up to the Headmaster's office.

XOXOXO

"You must be joking," Augusta said when Minerva had finished telling her and Poppy about what had become of Buffy Summers, and why she still looked so young.

"Do you honestly think I would make something like this up?" Minerva asked. "Because if I had, I would have ensured it made much more sense, and that it was far less complicated."

"You know, after having that Potter boy running around this school, with what he gets up to, I'm liable to believe anything," Poppy said. "Stranger things have happened around here, after all."

"Why do I get the feeling this year is going to be very, very interesting?" Minerva asked, more to herself than the other two.

XOXOXO

"So, let me get this straight," Buffy said, once Dumbledore had finished his sales pitch to her. "You want me to teach a Defence Against the Dark Arts class that's an unofficial Defence Against the Dark Arts class because the Ministry already appointed you a teacher and apparently she sucks?"

"Correct," Dumbledore replied. "Sadly, the children's education has been sorely lacking in that department, with four different teachers in the past four years, two of which were completely incompetent, one of which was actually an impostor and the only one who was a decent human being and an excellent teacher turned out to be a werewolf, and the parents apparently didn't like their children to be exposed to that."

"And yet they're totally okay with one of Voldemort's minions skulking around," Buffy said. "Because, you know, that makes so much sense."

"Some of the greatest wizards possess not an ounce of logic," Dumbledore replied.

"So, what would I be doing in this position?" Buffy asked.

"And what am I going to do when she's off teaching? Sit in that creepy old house with Sirius and that creepy little thing that lurks in the corners?" Dawn asked. "Because if that's the case, I'm going back to Giles. At least there I wasn't getting glared to death."

"Ah, yes, I haven't forgotten about you, Dawn," Dumbledore said with a grandfatherly smile. "May I call you Dawn?"

"If you call me Miss Summers I'll think I'm in trouble," Dawn replied.

"Yes, I believe there was another Miss Summers who remarked that being called Miss Summers made her feel like she was in trouble," Dumbledore said as he led them into the office. "Please, come in, take a seat."

"I never said that to you," Buffy said.

"These walls are not as soundproof as you may think," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.

"And that's not a thought I want going through my head," Buffy said with a grimace, thinking of all the times people might have heard her and Tom. Not like they'd done anything too loud or anything, but the thought of someone being able to hear anything that had gone on weirded her out. "Dawn, you had some concerns?"

"Yeah," Dawn said. "What's going to happen to me while Buffy's being all teacherly? Because as I said, I don't wanna get glared to death by Sirius."

"Well, your sister gave me some interesting information," Dumbledore said. "She said that when you handled her wand, it reacted to you. Ordinary Muggles are unable to do that."

"Are you saying I'm a witch, like Buffy?" Dawn asked.

"No," Dumbledore replied. Dawn's face fell slightly before Dumbledore continued. "I am saying you are a witch like Dawn, with a power in her own right."

"This sounds like a shopping trip waiting to happen," Buffy said, a smile crossing her face.

"I'm sure that Minerva and Augusta will be happy to show you around Diagon Alley once we get the rest of our meeting finished with," Dumbledore said. "I daresay they will be eager to speak with you, especially Augusta. They've missed you, you know. All of them."

"I'd be kinda worried if they didn't," Buffy said with a snort, glad that she hadn't been forgotten. However, she was a little worried that she might not be able to find her place back with her friends, mostly because they were several decades older than her now.

"Now then, we have two matters to attend to before you can go down to Augusta and see how she's doing," Dumbledore said. "First of all, will you accept the position here at Hogwarts?"

"Um, can I sit on that one for a bit?" Buffy asked.

"Why, Buffy?" Dawn asked. "You'll make an awesome teacher!"

"Don't you remember the last time I tried to teach people, lead them?" Buffy asked. "People died and I got kicked out of my own house."

"Did I mention I was sorry about that?" Dawn asked. Buffy shook her head. "Well, I'm sorry about that."

"Yeah, I kind of caught that," Buffy replied wryly.

"As fascinating as this story could be, there is one other matter we need to attend to," Dumbledore reminded them.

"My back story," Buffy said. "What are we going to do about that? The kids are already curious, with no help from this kid."

"How was I supposed to know that that teacher was retired? You said so yourself that wizards live a lot longer than normal people," Dawn said with a huff.

"The damage has been done already," Buffy said. "The question is, how do we fix it? And I want to lie as little as possible. The last thing I want is a crowd of supercharged teenagers mad at me because I've been lying to their faces."

"Of course dear, of course," Dumbledore said. "And I propose a rather radical solution to that. Tell the truth."

"About everything?" Buffy asked. "Landing on the grounds in 1943, who I became friends with, the stuff with Tom… everything?"

"While I do wish to keep your… liaison with Tom a secret for the time being, as the children and the vast majority of the Order have rather strong feelings against him, that too is your decision," Dumbledore replied. "I believe that if the rest of the Order knew exactly where you were coming from and how you gained your perspective, it would go a long way in gaining their full trust."

"Molly said that she trusts me," Buffy said.

"That may be so, but there are others in the Order who believe that you are far too young and inexperienced to be of any use to us," Dumbledore said.

"You mean, like Professor Snape," Buffy said immediately.

"Yes, exactly like Professor Snape," Dumbledore said. "Severus has some rather strong opinions about you."

"Because I didn't cower in fear at his glower?" Buffy asked with a scoff. "Please, he doesn't even rate on the Monster of the Week scary scale. Tell him to get that bug out of his bum because I'm not going anywhere."

"You can tell him yourself," Dumbledore said, gesturing behind them. Buffy's head whipped around, and sure enough, tall, dark and surly was standing behind them with a rather sour expression on his face.

"Headmaster," Snape greeted. "I was unaware that you would still be in a meeting when you asked me to come and see you this afternoon."

"I think I have discussed everything I needed to discuss with the Misses Summers," Dumbledore said. "Buffy, you will let me know your decision about the position soon?"

"Within a week," Buffy replied. "Once I know, you'll know."

"Excellent," Dumbledore said as he pulled a letter from one of his desk drawers. "I believe that Dawn may need this letter this afternoon."

"Huh, I never got an acceptance letter or a supplies list," Buffy said with a pout.

"Ah, yes, I have something for you too," Dumbledore said. "It's been sitting in my desk for some years, and I believe it's time for you to receive it."

"OWL results?" Buffy asked as she took the letter from Dumbledore. He nodded. "Do you mind if I open this in private?"

"Not at all," Dumbledore said. He glanced up at Snape. "I daresay Severus is rather anxious to speak with me without an audience."

"It was good to see you again," Buffy said with a smile. "I'll send off an owl with my answer in a couple of days."

"I look forward to it," Dumbledore replied with a smile as Buffy and Dawn got up. "I trust you remember your way to the hospital wing?"

"I think I can manage it," Buffy replied. "Is Poppy still hanging around?"

"I'll let you find that out on your own," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye as Buffy and Dawn left the office. They were about halfway down the staircase when Dawn began speaking.

"So, shopping trip?" she asked with a smile, holding up the supply list.

"For your wand, at least," Buffy replied. She plucked the list from her sister's hand and began reading it over. "I don't know if we'll have time to shop for everything – it's getting kind of late and I'm not sure what time everything closes. Or even if they take normal money. Looks like Professor Dumbledore picked out your electives for you, but you can change them if you don't like them."

"So, he's just going to toss me into the pool feet first without a swimming lesson?" Dawn asked.

"I'm sure if you asked, that Hermione girl would be willing to teach you some stuff," Buffy replied. "You've got a pretty big advantage over me. I had to learn everything as I went. Thank God for natural talent."

"Are you going to check what your marks were?" Dawn asked, gesturing to the letter in Buffy's hand.

"Later," Buffy replied. "Right now, we have people to visit."

They had reached the hospital wing, and Buffy took a few deep, calming breaths to steady herself before she pushed open the doors. She must have been taking too long, because Dawn nudged her after a couple of moments.

"You know, the door only works if you open it," she said cheekily.

"Oh shut up," Buffy said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm working up to it."

"Well, you might want to hurry up because I think I hear someone coming," Dawn said. Sure enough, the door was flung open by a fairly elderly woman wearing a nurse's uniform from, most likely, a century earlier. The nurse's eyes widened when she saw Buffy standing there.

"Hi," Buffy said with a weak smile. "You're not gonna faint on me, are you, Poppy?"

"No, but I may need to sit down for a moment," said Poppy as she waved Buffy and Dawn into the hospital wing. Waiting for them inside was Minerva and Augusta, the latter still looking a little shaken from what had happened earlier.

"So, uh, hi," Buffy said with another wave. Augusta got up from her seat on the hospital bed and closed the short distance between herself and Buffy, wrapping the younger woman in a hug, parting after a few moments. As soon as they did, Augusta grabbed her handbag and whacked Buffy on the back of the head with it, causing Dawn to laugh and Buffy to rub her head, narrowing her eyes at her soon-to-be former friend. "Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"Don't you _dare _scare us like that again!" Augusta said, trying to sound fierce, but her words came out a little frightened and desperate. "Do you have _any _idea how much your disappearance has affected us?"

"I think you're going to tell me no matter what," Buffy muttered under her breath before she raised her voice to a level where everyone could hear her. "And don't blame me! It's not like I _wanted _to go. Well, yeah, I kind of did, but I was getting comfortable and I was happy. Stupid Malfoy decided I didn't belong. If you want to blame someone, blame him."

"Oh, believe me, I do," Augusta said. "Still can't figure out how he did it."

"He opened a portal," Buffy replied with a shrug. "It was sheer dumb luck that it didn't rip me apart and dropped me close enough to my own time."

"And what, exactly is your own time?" Augusta asked.

"I was born in January, 1981," Buffy replied.

"Ah, I see," Augusta said. "Please, don't tell me that this is your daughter."

"Nope, sister," Dawn piped up. "Dawn Summers. I've heard a lot about you ladies."

"Funny, we haven't heard a thing about you," Minerva said.

"Would you believe me if I said it was another long story?" Buffy asked sheepishly.

"Yes," all three women said in unison. Dawn giggled and Buffy glared at her younger sister.

"Not funny," Buffy said.

"And I'm sure you'll be able to tell them all about it when you're teaching here," Dawn piped up with a grin.

"Teaching?" Minerva asked. "What will you be teaching?"

"Not teaching yet," Buffy replied. "I haven't accepted the position. And Professor Dumbledore wants me to teach a kind of Defence Against the Dark Arts class because apparently the teacher the Ministry foisted on him is a bit of a dud."

"Ah yes, Delores Umbridge," Minerva said with a wrinkle of her nose.

"Sounds like a total cow," Dawn remarked.

"While I wouldn't have used that phrasing exactly, Ms. Umbridge is a rather unpleasant woman," Minerva said. "She believes in blood purity and human supremacy above all else. She has made it so that good, decent people like Remus Lupin are unable to find work in the wizarding world because of what they are."

"Werewolves," Buffy said.

"Correct," Minerva replied. "Part humans had a difficult time gaining employment before, but with this new legislation it's nigh impossible."

"Wonder what she's going to do when she figures out what I am," Buffy wondered aloud.

"What do you mean?" Poppy asked, curious.

"Vampire Slayer," Buffy replied. "Not exactly a normal human here. She'd probably try to make me out to be some crazy, violent person or something."

"The Vampire Slayer is a myth," Augusta said with a sniff.

"So I've been told," Buffy replied. "Not a myth. Trust me, not a myth. The story kind of changed recently, but Vampire Slayers are definitely real. You can ask Quentin, if you want."

"Oh, I suppose no one's told you," Augusta said, her voice sad. "Quentin died years ago. I would have thought someone would have told you that as soon as you had arrived. I suppose they told you about Terrence?"

"Yes," Buffy replied. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"It was ten years ago," Augusta said, although her voice was still sad. "He gave me Frank, who brought Alice into the family, who gave us our only grandson. Neville."

"But Quentin isn't dead, he just… went through a makeover," Buffy replied. "If you don't believe me, you can ask Professor Dumbledore. Hell, ask Minnie! She saw him, she knows what he goes by now."

"It's true, although I'm not sure if I should reveal his new identity, as he has gone to great lengths to bury Quentin Trimble," Minerva said with a sigh.

"Why would he have disappeared like that, though?" Augusta wondered aloud.

"No idea, but I'll ask him the next time I see him," Buffy replied. That wouldn't be too long; from what she understood, the Order meetings were fairly regular. She wondered if Augusta knew about the Order and decided to play it safe rather than sorry and not mention it.

"Do I really need to remain here, Poppy?" Augusta asked. "As you can see, I'm fine. Just a little shock to the system. Makes life interesting, these shocks do."

"I suppose I can't keep you, considering you're not a student and I'm technically not on duty," Poppy said with a sigh. "But I do ask that you take it easy for a few days."

"I'm sure I can get Neville to do my running around for a couple of days," Augusta said. She turned her attention to Dawn. "Speaking of Neville, you must be about his age. You're, what, fourteen?"

"Fifteen," Dawn replied.

"And before you think of doing any kind of setting up, you should probably remember that I was supposed to be his great aunt Buffy, which would technically make Dawn his great aunt, too," Buffy cut in before Augusta could say anything else.

"This is going to take a little getting used to," Augusta said, her voice quiet, nothing like the girl Buffy had known. "Terrence was very fond of you, you know. Before you… left… he was completely and entirely convinced that you would pick his family by the end of that summer and you would be starting your seventh year as Buffy Longbottom."

"I'm sure he would have made an amazing big brother," Buffy said with a watery smile. When she had been sent back, Terrence, in all of his humour, had been the person she had missed the most, although the margin was quite slim. He had really acted a lot like an older brother and would have most likely been able to slip into that role quite easily if and when the time had come.

"Well, I think this calls for a spot of tea," Minerva said, her voice bright. "August? Buffy? Poppy? Dawn? Care to join me? We can reminisce about old times more comfortably in my office."

Sounds of agreement were made, although as soon as they were out the door, Dawn detached herself from the group. It was so weird, seeing her sister interact with these people, so much older than her, and yet they didn't treat her like she could have been their granddaughter.

It was going to take a lot of time for Dawn to get used to all of this. Sitting through that tea would have been awkward for her, so she decided to go and explore the school that Buffy had obviously loved so much. She just hoped that Buffy wouldn't be too angry with her.

Dawn had spent a few moments walking down the corridor, taking in her surroundings. She hadn't had a chance to really look at what Hogwarts really looked like, and now that she was checking things out at her own leisure, she couldn't wait to go to school there. She would definitely have to get Hermione to fill her in on the basics before school started so that she wouldn't be completely lost.

She had only gone part way down the corridor when a silvery-looking _something _rounded a corner and started walking towards here. It took Dawn a moment to realize that she was looking at a ghost straight from the fourteen-hundreds. His eyes widened in surprise when he spotted her, and Dawn knew that her expression was pretty much mirroring his.

"Well, this is a bit of a surprise," said the ghost. "Are you a student here?"

"Not yet," Dawn replied. "Well, yeah, I guess I am now, but I still need a wand, and stuff, and a house."

"You're a little old to be a first year," said the ghost sceptically. "And pardon my manners. I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington, the Gryffindor house ghost. Most everyone calls me Sir Nick."

"Well, Sir Nick, I'm not going to be a first year," Dawn replied. "I think they're sticking me in fifth year."

"You know, there's only one other person I can think of who did that before," Sir Nick said thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "Many, many years ago. She disappeared after only one year, such a sad story. No one's been able to figure out what happened."

"Was her name Buffy Summers?" Dawn asked, and Sir Nick's astonished expression was more than enough of an answer for Dawn.

"But how did you know that?" Sir Nick asked. "Because she didn't graduate, her name wouldn't have appeared on any of the registers or records of people who have completed Hogwarts."

"Easy," Dawn replied. "Buffy's my sister."

XOXOXO

"Have any of you seen Dawn?" Buffy asked as they were nearing Minerva's office. She glanced behind her and all around. Nope, no Dawn.

"She's probably off exploring," Minerva said. "It's a good thing. We wouldn't want her to get lost on her first day."

"I'd offer to have Neville show her around, but he has an abysmal sense of direction," Augusta said with a shake of her head and a fond smile.

"I'm sure that Dawn will have plenty of people willing to show her around when the time comes," Buffy replied, thinking of the Weasleys, Hermione and Harry and their budding friendship with her sister. It was good that Dawn was finding friends on her own – Buffy knew her sister hadn't had many when she was back in Sunnydale, so seeing Dawn being social made Buffy happy.

"As long as she stays away from the dungeons, I'm sure Dawn will be fine," Minerva said. "After all, we wouldn't want Severus scaring the poor girl away."

"I'd be more worried about surly man," Buffy replied with a snort. "Dawn has a unique ability to melt the coldest of hearts and get the biggest of badasses wrapped around her finger."

"Maybe we should pit her against You Know Who," Minerva said with a titter.

"Absolutely not," Buffy replied firmly, her tone putting an end to that discussion. As the silence loomed, Buffy scrambled to find something else to talk about, something that would be easy for all three of the women to keep the conversation flowing. "How about you all tell me about what's happened since I left? Professor Dumbledore gave me the short version but I want to hear _everything_. Complete with photos, if we can."

XOXOXO

"Sister?" Sir Nick asked, puzzled. "How could she be your sister? She was here in 1943. Even if your parents were of wizarding stock, it would have been exceptionally rare for them to have another daughter with such a large age gap."

"That's only if you're thinking of time as linear," Dawn said with a smile, wondering if she'd be able to get into a semi intelligent babble of Willow proportions.

"I have a feeling that this is going to be a very interesting conversation," Sir Nick said. "Where are you headed? You can explain it to me while I show you the way."

"Can we take the long route to Professor McGonagall's office?" Dawn asked. "I think Buffy wants to spend some time with her friends without her little sister underfoot."

"I think that can be arranged," Sir Nick said with a smile. "Come along, let me show you around and you can tell me the story that promises to be fascinating."

"What do you know about time travelling portals?" Dawn asked as they walked down the hall, unaware of a dark, greasy-haired figure following them in the shadows.

XOXOXO

"So, that's Frank and Alice?" Buffy asked, looking at the moving wedding photographs. It had been a small ceremony, that much had been obvious, and it was mostly members of the original Order in attendance. She watched as her almost-nephew and his new wife waved and smiled at the camera, younger than Buffy was now.

"Yes," Augusta said fondly, her eyes misty. "My Neville looks a lot like him, although he's cursed with my father's teeth."

"Poor kid," Buffy said. She'd seen pictures of Phoebus Smith, and while he looked like a nice enough man, his teeth looked absolutely atrocious. They were all there, they were just really, really crooked, giving him a rather odd, lopsided smile.

"He's a sweet enough boy, always willing to help. Doesn't have much of a backbone, though," Augusta remarked, shaking her head.

"I'm sure he stands up like a man when he needs to," Buffy said. "I remember one time, at my high school graduation, kids who had never fought the forces of darkness were willing to take up weapons when they found out the mayor was going to eat us all at the ceremony."

"Eat you all?" Poppy asked. "How could one man manage to eat hundreds of teenagers?"

"He might have transformed into a giant snake demon at the end of his speech," Buffy replied. The three women stared at her. "What can I say? Life on the Hellmouth was far from boring." The women still stared at her, curiosity evident in their expressions. "I'm guessing it's story time?"

"You could say that," Minerva said. Buffy was about to start telling her story when there was a knock at the door. Minerva rose to get it and Dawn was standing there. The older woman waved the girl in and she took a seat next to Buffy.

"So, what are we talking about?" Dawn asked.

"The Mayor," Buffy replied.

"Ooh, I love this one," Dawn said as they all settled in to hear how Buffy blew up the Mayor.

XOXOXO

Here we are, Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it! Not sure when I'm going to get the next chapter up, but I hope you all enjoy this extra-long offering.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Buffy should have known that as soon as she had run into her Hogwarts friends, she and Dawn would not be going shopping. When Dumbledore had come to collect the girls a few hours later, there was an extremely amused twinkle in his eye.

"I think it's about time to take you girls home," he said as he entered the room.

"And, you know, that didn't sound naughty," Dawn said as she allowed Buffy to haul her to her feet. The older adults in the room started at her with an odd combination of amusement and revulsion. Dawn blushed and smiled sheepishly. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Don't worry, I won't tease you about it too badly," Buffy said before she turned her attention to the three women she had spent the majority of the afternoon with. "Well, I guess this is good bye."

"Not for long, though," Augusta said firmly. "You and Dawn are to come to dinner with my family some time before the summer is over. You can tell Neville stories about his grandfather. He always likes hearing those."

"You'll have to owl me about that," Buffy said. "Or I could owl you. Whatever."

"I think it would be best if Buffy owled you," Dumbledore said. "I'll send on the the school owls over for you to use during the summer."

"Thank you, Professor," Buffy said gratefully before she turned her attention back to the women. "I'll keep in touch."

"You'd better," she said with narrowed eyes. She gestured to her handbag. "I don't think you like what happens when you don't."

"No, ma'am," Buffy replied cheekily, causing Augusta's lips to twitch into something that could have been interpreted as a smile. She surged forward and wrapped Buffy in a tight hug.

"It's good to have you back," she said, her voice choking up a little.

"It's good to be back," Buffy replied, squeezing the woman wone last time before releasing her.

"Are we ready to go?" Dumbledore asked.

"Ready when you are," Buffy said. With one last wave she allowed herselve to be led from the office by Dumbledore, Dawn bringing up the rear.

"I am assuming your afternoon was a pleasant one?" Dumbledore asked when they were out of earshot of McGonagall's office.

"After the assault by handbag, everything was peachy keen," Buffy replied.

"Augusta, I'm assuming?" Dumbledore asked.

"Augusta," Buffy confirmed. "I should have known better, after all of those times I saw her smacking Terrence when he was being an idiot. So, how are we getting home tonight?"

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to put you two on the Knight Bus," Dumbledore replied. "Not my first choice, but I cannot send you via Floo and I am unable to accompany you back to headquarters. Make sure you do not give the full address and ensure that the bus is well and truly gone before you start walking there."

"Gotcha," Buffy said. "So, how do we catch this bus?"

"Follow me," Dumbledore said as he led them through the castle, out the door and across the grounds before he stopped them just outside the gates. "I trust you have your wand on you?"

"Yep," Buffy replied, bending down to lift up her pant leg. Her wand was tucked into a pocket on the inside of her boot, originally made for daggers, but it worked just as well for her wand.

"Ingenious," Dumbledore remarked as Buffy straightened up. He pulled a bag from one of his pockets and handed it to Buffy. "Here, you'll need this. Gold ones are Galleons, silver are Sickles and bronze are Knuts. To summon the Knight Bus, all you need to do is hold out your wand and it will come to you."

"Like this?" Buffy asked, waving her arm as if she were hailing a cab, her wand in her hand. She would have felt like an idiot if a resounding bang like a gunshot hadn't rang through the air and a large, purple, triple-decker bus hadn't appeared. It trundled to a stop in front of Buffy and Dawn, the doors sliding open as it did so.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transportation for the stranded witch or wizard," said the conductor as he stepped off of the bus. He was a pimply young wizard who looked like he was barely out of school. "My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor this evening. Where would you ladies like to go?"

Dumbledore gave him an address that was, in actuality, a few blocks away from Grimmauld Place, and quickly slipped a piece of parchment that would tell her how she would be able to get to headquarters from that location. Buffy just shrugged; even though Dumbledore had said that she should just tell the driver to drop them off at Grimmauld Place, she wasn't going to question his judgment. He had, so far, not done anything that would make Buffy question his leadership, although she was on high alert in case he was deemed unfit to lead the Order anymore.

"Well then, on you come," Stan said, gesturing to Buffy and Dawn to get on to the bus.

"It was nice seeing you again, Professor Dumbledore," Buffy said as she waved before she entered the bus.

"Yeah, Professor Bumblebee, see you around," Dawn said before following her sister. Both of them grinned at the laughter that bubbled forth from the old wizard, glad that he could laugh at their antics.

They took in their surroundings; the bus had large, squishy armchairs in the place of regular seats, three or four grouped together in a circle around the windows. Buffy hoped that they were bolted to the floor; she'd heard that the Knight Bus had a lot of sudden, violent stops and starts, and the last thing she wanted was to be thrown about like a rag doll.

"You two can sit over 'ere," Stan said, gesturing to two seats behind the driver. "It's eleven sickles apiece, thirteen for hot chocolate, fifteen for all of the above, plus a hot water bottle and a toothbrush."

"Just the basic fare," Buffy replied, fishing out the twenty-two sickles that would get them to where they needed to go. She handed over the silver coins and placed them in his money belt without even double checking to make sure she had given him enough.

"Alright Ern, let's go," Stan said as he sat down next to the driver. He turned around to glance at the girls. "You might want to hold on to somethin'."

With an ear-shattering bang, the bus was on its way, jolting both Dawn and Buffy from their feet. Stan just snickered and turned his attention to the front of the bus while Buffy and Dawn got up and staggered to the two seats that Stan had gestured to.

"Next time, we beg Dumbledore to apparate us," Dawn grumbled as the bus trundled down a country road, seemingly hitting every bump and pothole in the road.

"Agreed," Buffy replied.

A few more bangs and bumpy roads later and the bus trundled to a stop in the middle of London. "Summers!" Stan exclaimed. Eagerly, Buffy and Dawn got up from their seats and practically tumbled off of the bus, more than happy to get off the thing. "Think of us when you're in need of emergency transport!"

"Not bloody likely," Buffy grumbled, garnering a surprised look from Dawn. "What?"

"Look at you, sounding all British," she said with a grin. "Before you know it, you'll have an accent and everything. Giles would be so proud."

"If I'd been able to stick around, I probably would have one," Buffy replied as they made their way to headquarters.

"But then you'd be old, and maybe all this badness wouldn't have happened," Dawn said.

"Maybe. I guess we'll never know, right?" Buffy replied. "All we can do now is prevent more badness was happening and hope for a happy ending."

"Yeah, here's hoping," Dawn said as they continued on to headquarters in silence.

"Honey, we're home!" Buffy exclaimed as quietly as she could. She regretted it instantly, because apparently she wasn't being quiet enough.

"_MUDBLOODS! __FILTH BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS!"_

The curtain covering the portrait in the entryway blew open, revealing a rather old and ugly looking woman, shouting and screaming obscenities, mostly to do with how dirty Muggle borns and creatures were. She spotted Buffy, her eyes going wide when she did.

"You!" she exclaimed, pointing. "You Gryffindor Mudblood whore! Malfoy had the right idea, sending you away before you ruined all that we had worked so hard to accomplish!"

"And that's enough of that," Sirius said, rushing forward and closing the curtain, muffling the portraits shouts. "I'm sorry about my dear old mum. She's a little touched in the head."

"No worries, we all have crazy relatives," Buffy replied. "So, what's the what?"

"Molly's just setting down dinner," Sirius replied. "If you didn't eat at Hogwarts, you're welcome to join us."

"Wait a sec, hold the phone," Buffy said, stopping. Sirius turned and looked at her, curious. "You've been all mean and hostile since we got here, and now you're being nice. Something isn't fitting. What's up?"

"I, ah, overheard you talking to Harry," Sirius replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Seriously, does privacy mean _nothing_to you people?" Dawn asked with a glare.

"_Anyway_," Sirius said, sending a pointed look towards Dawn. "I heard you talking to Harry, and I really appreciate having someone else around who thinks he shouldn't be left completely in the dark. Besides, Mum hates you. You can't be half bad if she doesn't like you, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Buffy replied. She'd caught the name of the woman in the portrait by reading the little plaque inlaid at the bottom edge of the frame, as well as the year she had been born. While Walburga Black wasn't a familiar name to her, the fact that she recognized Buffy and knew what Malfoy had done to her had put her on high alert. She had been born in 1925, which meant that she had probably been a seventh year when she was in Hogwarts. Maybe she had been one of the people who had sent her through the portal.

"Come on, Molly's probably wondering where I got to," Sirius said as he headed down to the kitchen, Buffy and Dawn on his heels. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, it was obvious that there were far more people at the table than usual. There were, however, enough seats for everyone, and Buffy and Dawn snagged two seats together near a young witch with bright, bubble gum pink hair.

"Wotcher!" she greeted with a grin. "I'm Tonks, who're you?"

"I'm Buffy," Buffy replied.

"Dawn," Dawn introduced.

"Cor, and here I thought my mum was bad with the strange names," Tonks said with a laugh. At Buffy's curious glance, she explained. "My full name is Nymphadora Tonks. I go by Tonks, for obvious reasons."

"And I just go by Buffy, because there's not much you can do with that," Buffy replied. "So, what brings you to the Order?"

"Mad-Eye's my mentor, thought I'd be able to do some good," Tonks replied. "And Sirius is my cousin. Him and my mum are cousins."

"Why do I have the feeling that everyone in this room are related in one way or another?" Dawn asked aloud to no one in particular.

"That's usually how it goes in pureblood families," Tonks replied with a shrug. "It's kind of like the Muggle royal family, if you think about it."

"I'd rather not," Buffy said, wrinkling her nose, wondering how many people she had associated with and known at Hogwarts had been related in some way or another.

"What about you? You're obviously not from this side of the pond, not that I'm saying that's a bad thing or anything, but it makes me curious as to why you're here, fighting our fight," Tonks said. She examined Buffy's face, trying to figure out why she was there, before comprehension dawned on her face. "Wait a tic, you were at the last meeting weren't you? Sniping with Snape?"

"Yep, that was me," Buffy replied. "Tall, dark and greasy needed to be taken down a peg."

"You must have bollocks of steel if you're trading barbs with him," Tonks remarked. "Or deeply stupid."

"Most people would go with deeply stupid," Buffy said with a snort. "Though I kind of have luck on my side."

"Oh yeah?" Tonks asked.

"Longest lived vampire slayer," Dawn said, pointing to her sister.

"I knew I recognized that name," Tonks said with a grin. "I never thought I'd ever get to meet one – we're all told you're this mythical creature that keeps the monsters away. You know, a boogeyman beater. Thought you'd be taller, and, you know, scarier."

"I get that a lot," Buffy said, not entirely sure if this woman was joking or not. She knew that the slayer was a myth in this world, but she wasn't entirely sure what was known about the slayer. It hadn't been covered in her Defence Against the Dark Arts class, and although she had gotten that book from Quentin she really hadn't had much of a chance to read it. She wasn't even sure where it was located, because she hadn't been able to take any of her belongings with her, except for what had been on her person.

"So, I'm guessing that you're not a witch," Tonks said. "I mean, because you're the slayer and everything, you don't need magic, right?"

"Your guess would be wrong," Buffy said. "Well, kind of. I attended Hogwarts for one year, when I was sixteen."

"Oh yeah?" Tonks asked. "What year? I don't remember you at all, and there can't be that much of an age difference between us."

"It's one of those things I kind of need to talk to everyone tonight," Buffy replied.

"You mean, you're going to do that tonight?" Dawn asked.

"Might as well get it out in the open," Buffy replied with a shrug. "I mean, Dumbledore gave the okay, and the sooner I get it out there, the sooner I don't have to worry about slipping up."

"You wanna do it now?" Dawn asked.

"Well, I suppose," Buffy replied. "How do you think I should do this?"

"Hey everyone!" Dawn exclaimed, calling everyone's attention to herself and Buffy. "Buffy has something to tell you guys, so you'd better listen up!"

"Not what I had in mind," Buffy said, her face reddening as everyone focused their gazes on her.

"Hey, you wanted to do it now, I got everyone's attention on you," Dawn replied with a shrug. "Now start talking, before everyone thinks I'm crazy."

"Not much of a stretch there," one of the twins called from the other end of the table.

"Shut up Fred, I know where you sleep," Dawn shot back as Buffy stood so that she could be heard and seen better.

"So, uh, hi everyone," Buffy began. "Before we all start eating, I've got something I need to say."

"Then spit it out already, we're hungry!" said one of the twins.

"Some of you are probably wondering how I know Dumbledore and some of the older members of the Order," Buffy continued, smiling a little as Dawn glared in the general directions of the twins. "As most of you know, I attended Hogwarts for a little less than a year. I arrived in October and was sent back just after exams in June."

"What do you mean, sent back?" asked Hermione.

"I'm getting to that," Buffy said. "Anyway, near the end of my junior year of high school, I was fighting this vampire who was trying to open a portal to try and bring hell on earth. The portal opened, and the only way I could close it was to push the vampire in. There was an aftershock or something, and it sent me back through time until I landed on the Hogwarts grounds."

"How far back?" asked Harry.

"1943," Buffy replied. The entire room stared at her. The Weasleys, Harry, Sirius, Hermione, Tonks and Remus. They all _stared_. I was unnerving; even though she was seen as the leader most of the time, it still felt weird to be the centre of attention.

"So that's why you hugged Mad-Eye and Professor McGonagall," Remus remarked.

"Yep," Buffy replied. "The man you know as Mad-Eye was one of my best friends, as was Minnie."

"How is you having gone to school back in the 1940's going to help us in the fight against You-Know-Who?" Sirius asked sceptically.

"I went to school with him," Buffy shot back.

"So did Professor McGonagall, so did Mad-Eye and so did anyone else you were friends with," Sirius reasoned. "What makes you so special?"

"He didn't stalk _them_," Buffy retorted. Dumbledore had told her that he didn't want her relationship with Tom to be revealed to the Order just yet, but she wasn't doing that, not really.

"Why would he stalk _you_?" Sirius asked, still sceptical.

"Think about it," Buffy said. "If a girl showed up at your school under strange circumstances, wouldn't you want to get to know her, even if she wouldn't give you the time of day?"

"But all of the girls gave me the time of day," Sirius said arrogantly.

"I was a Gryffindor and he was a Slytherin. Obviously non-mixy," Buffy replied. "So he did the only thing he could think of, I'm guessing. He followed me around and watched me. Really, really creepy and a little obsessive."

"And how did you get back?" Remus asked.

"Abraxas Malfoy and some of his friends tossed me in a portal," Buffy replied. "I was damn lucky the thing didn't rip me apart or anything like that."

"And I think that's enough of that," Dawn said with a finality in her voice that startled nearly everyone in the room. "What? She gave you all of the information she wanted to give you. Besides, Gred and Forge over there said they were getting hungry, and we all know what happens when those two don't get what they want."

"What do they do when they don't get what they want?" Buffy asked her sister in a low whisper as the bustle of the kitchen started up again and everyone started dishing out their dinners.

"They start replacing food with some of their prank items," Dawn whispered back. "After hearing about some of their stuff, I do _not _want to get on their bad sides. If that's the kind of stuff they do to their friends, I don't wanna know what they do to people they _don't _like."

"Good to know," Buffy said, looking down the table at the twins. They looked innocent enough, well, as innocent as two seventeen year olds could look.

"Oh, Hermione, I have a question for you," Dawn said, addressing the brunette seated across from her.

"What's your question?" Hermione asked.

"I kinda sorta maybe got an acceptance letter from Hogwarts and I kinda sorta maybe need a little help catching up," Dawn said, a touch of hope in her voice.

"You're going to regret that," Ginny said with a grin as Hermione's eyes sparkled in excitement.

"We're going to have to get started tonight if you want to be up to scratch by September," Hermione said. "I have all of my notes and books from my previous years because we're sitting our OWLs this year, you know, and they test everything you've ever learned..."

Buffy smiled as Hermione babbled about subjects and homework and everything in between, quizzing Dawn on her schedule and what she knew about magic in between bites of her dinner. The girl had all of the scary studying power of Quentin and Augusta combined, and Buffy knew that Dawn would be all right in her hands. She just hoped that Hermione didn't get too violent; while Augusta hadn't smacked her around all that much, she had seen her slap Terrence on the back of the head when he wasn't studying for his NEWTs like he should have been.

The remainder of dinner passed uneventfully and before long Buffy had excused herself, heading up to the room that she shared with Dawn. She had a letter to open, and if she could help it, she was going to open it alone, just in case her marks were less than stellar. She sat on her bed and broke the wax seal on the envelope, scanning over the letter composed in formal, conservative script.

_Dear Miss Summers,_

_Your grades for your Ordinary Wizarding Levels are set out below._

_Astronomy - Acceptable_

_Care of Magical Creatures - Acceptable_

_Charms - Acceptable_

_Defence Against the Dark Arts - Outstanding_

_Divination - Acceptable_

_History of Magic - Poor_

_Potions - Exceeds Expectations_

_Transfiguration - Exceeds Expectations_

_You have received 7 Ordinary Wizarding Levels. Good luck in your sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

It was signed by someone Buffy had never heard of and was probably dead by now. She smiled at her results - she had passed every class except for History of Magic, which she hadn't expected to pass anyway. Her Charms mark would probably have August shaking her head, but Buffy was just glad she had passed.

"Good news?" Dawn asked as she entered the room.

"I passed," Buffy replied with a grin, holding up the letter. Dawn grabbed it, cocking an eyebrow at the marks.

"They grade weird," she remarked, tossing the letter back at Buffy. "And you failed History. Didn't you say that people who failed HIstory were doomed to repeat it in summer school?"

"Not here," Buffy replied. "After OWLs you were able to drop any of the classes you failed so you can focus on the ones that will help you with where you wanted to go in life."

"Good deal," Dawn remarked as she flopped down on the bed. "If Hermione comes a-knockin', I'm not here."

"Hiding already?" Buffy asked with a smirk.

"Not hiding, never hiding," Dawn replied with a shake of her head. "Just... taking a breather. That girl is intense. Like, insanely intense when it comes to her schoolwork. Besides, I wanted to see how you were doing after the whole reveal-y thingy."

"Peachy. Side of keen," Buffy replied.

"You didn't tell them about Tom," Dawn remarked. "Well, not entirely."

"Dumbledore told me not to," Buffy replied with a shrug. "Besides, I'm not really ready for everyone to know, anyway. I kind of want it to be, you know, my secret for now."

"Well, since Dumbledore said you should, I think you're doing it the right way," Dawn said. "You gave enough information as to how you might know about ol' Tommy-boy's methods without telling everyone you guys made with the smoochies."

"And you know, if you don't shut up about it about it, they're going to know," Buffy retorted. "Especially, you know, with the dropping of the eaves around here."

"Right, sorry," Dawn replied, dragging her fingers across her lips as if to zip them up.

"Now go on, go find Hermione," Buffy said, waving her sister off. "Trust me, the sooner you get down to the whole studying thing, the better off you're going to be. I'll see about getting you a wand, although I don't know how much use it's going to be because I don't think you can actually use it until you get to Hogwarts."

"That sucks," Dawn said with a pout as she got up from the bed. "But I guess you're right. Need to study up."

"Have fun, see you later," Buffy said, waving her sister away. Dawn smiled and waved at her sister before leaving in search of Hermione.

XOXOXO

**So, here's chapter 6. Not sure how much I like it, but if you guys do, I guess that's all right.**

**I do have a bit of a conundrum, though. While I do have a general idea of where I want to go with this, I have a couple of variables. One of the major ones is whether or not to kill off Sirius. Kind of on the fence on that one, and I can be swayed either way.**

**As always, reviews are always appreciated. Thanks for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"So, I hear you had to be kinda rescued," Dawn said to Harry the next afternoon when they were, yet again, cleaning. In the breaks for snacks and meals Hermione had been hauling her off to teach her about magical theory, and Dawn didn't get much of a chance to talk to anyone else. And she kind of wanted to get to know the only dark-haired boy in the house. Now, Dawn had nothing against redheads whatsoever, but she found something oddly alluring about Harry Potter, and she wanted to figure out what it was.

"I don't see how that's any of your business," Harry said coolly. Dawn's shoulders drooped a little; he must still be a little sore about her calling him a "hormone bomb".

"If it makes you feel better, Buffy's had to save my ass loads of times," Dawn said. "There's kind of a joke – I got kidnapped so much my sister once said 'Dawn's in trouble. Must be Tuesday'."

"Why are you telling me this?" Harry asked, turning his attention away from the window he was scrubbing and focusing on Dawn.

"It's kind of my way of apologizing for calling you a hormone bomb," Dawn replied, chewing on her lip and looking at Harry hopefully. "Look, I'm not saying I agree with what you did, because I don't, but I shouldn't have been such a huge bitch about it. Forgive me?"

"You were right, we shouldn't have been listening in the first place," Harry said, scuffing his feet. "Sorry, I'm paranoid. You would be too, if nearly every new person introduced ended up being out to get you."

"Hel_lo_, sister of the vampire slayer and lived on a hellmouth," Dawn said, rolling her eyes. "If anyone knows anything about having people gunning for you, it's me."

"Oh yeah? What's the worst you've had come after you, a demented vampire?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised.

"Well, there was that one time my sister's crazy psycho boyfriend kidnapped me," Dawn replied, trailing off thoughtfully. "But no, vampires are so common they're practically cliché. The worst thing to come after me was probably the Hell Goddess who wanted to use me to get back to her home world."

"How was she going to do that?" Harry asked. Both teenagers were aware of the fact that they were being watched by the Weasleys and Hermione, but Harry was beyond caring. He'd field the questions later – well, maybe not, if their wariness was any indication of how they were going to treat it – but right now he was getting to know Dawn, who, when she wasn't chewing him out for eavesdropping, was actually quite charming.

"My blood opens portals," Dawn replied with a shrug. She was sure Buffy was going to lecture her if she ever found out that Dawn was telling Harry these things, but like Buffy had said, honesty was the best policy if she wanted to gain their trust. "Well, it used to. Not so much anymore. Just regular, California girl now. So, do you have anything worse than a Hell Goddess wanting to use your blood to get home to her hell dimension?"

"Does a crazy, power-hungry half snake, half human count?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Might come close," Dawn replied with a grin. She chanced a glance over at the other teenagers, who had ceased cleaning and were obviously watching them. She leaned in and stage whispered to Harry. "You know, I think we're being watched."

"I'm well aware," Harry replied. He, too, glanced over at the Weasleys and Hermione, and as soon as they realized they had been spotted they hurriedly went back to scrubbing and spraying, causing Dawn and Harry to dissolve into silent giggles.

Meanwhile, in a completely different area of the house, Buffy was exploring a little. Oh, she was cleaning on her way, but she was trying to get the layout of the house while she was doing it. She ended up in a large drawing room with one of the largest and most intricate tapestries she'd seen outside of Hogwarts. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was a family tree. Emblazoned across the top in stitched script was the title "The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black – _Toujours pur_". She saw many names she recognized, and while she knew the purebloods were all interrelated somehow, it was amazing to see just how they were interconnected.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Sirius asked from behind Buffy, startling her. She jumped and whirled around, levelling him with a glare.

"Don't _do _that," she said, pointing her finger at him. Had she known him better, she probably would have poked him in the chest. "You're just lucky we weren't in a cemetery, otherwise you might end up with more than just a finger pointed at you."

"Good to know," Sirius said with a smile. He gestured to the tapestry Buffy was standing in front of. "But it is amazing, isn't it? How interconnected we all are?"

"Yeah," Buffy replied, looking up. She saw a lot of names she recognized, including people she had gone to school with. It was strange, seeing how they all fit together.

"This one is by no means complete," Sirius remarked, coming up to stand next to Buffy. "Every time the family produced someone half decent, my mum would blast them off the tapestry. See, look, Tonks isn't even on here because her mum married a Muggle born."

Buffy looked at where he was pointing, a charred hole with the name Andromeda Black barely visible through the char. On either side of her were Bellatrix Black and Narcissa Black, who had a gold thread connecting her to Lucius Malfoy.

"So you're from one of those pureblood families who think magic should be kept in magical families," Buffy remarked.

"Unfortunately," Sirius replied with a grimace. "Don't worry, I'm not like that. Obviously."

"Obviously," Buffy echoed.

"So, do you see anyone you recognize?" Sirius asked after a few moments of silence.

"A few," Buffy replied, her gaze falling on Abraxas Malfoy. As Dumbledore had informed her, his date of death, neatly stitched into the fabric, was some ten years prior. "The asshole who tossed me into that portal, for one. Abraxas Malfoy."

"Lucius Malfoy's father?" Sirius asked.

"Looks like it," Buffy replied.

"Are you angry with him?" Sirius asked.

"Yes and no," Buffy replied. She turned away from the tapestry and her full attention to Sirius. "I mean, I'm angry that he took me away from the life I was building at Hogwarts and the potential families I could have had, but the only reason why I had to build a life at Hogwarts and get adopted into another family was because Dumbledore said that there was no way to send me back. While yes, I wish I could kick him in the shins and throw a couple of curses his way, I'm also grateful that I got to go back, see my mom before she died and watch my sister grow up. And hey, now I'm young enough to help with the actual ass kicking, instead of telling other people how to kick ass."

"There is that," Sirius said. "Is it strange, being back?"

"You have no idea," Buffy replied. "All of my friends are old, everything's different. Part of me kind of wishes Dumbledore hadn't come to find me, but a larger part of me doesn't want to let this world go now that I'm a part of it again. All I have to do now is find my place in it again."

"Well, good luck with that," Sirius said. "The Order will always be here for you."

"That's what I'm hoping," Buffy replied. There was a noise at the door, and both Buffy and Sirius turned to see Harry and Dawn standing at the door, watching them.

"We weren't listening in, we swear!" Harry exclaimed immediately, once he saw who Sirius was talking to. Buffy smiled; she could tell Harry wasn't a bad kid, even though she'd only known him a few days. She hoped that his friends would keep him from going completely crazy and sacrificial, like her friends had.

"It's okay, it wasn't like we were having some deep, meaningful, super-secret meeting," Buffy replied with a shrug. "What's up?"

"Well, Dawn wanted to escape from Hermione and I just wanted to get away from the cleaning," Harry replied.

"Seriously, Dawn, you need to learn this stuff," Buffy said.

"Hey, look at you, with the studying and everything," Dawn said, poking her sister on the shoulder.

"Hey, I went to college," Buffy replied. "Did pretty well, too, until Mom got sick. I was actually considering going back, before Dumbledore came a'calling. Giles said he'd be able to get me at least a partial scholarship."

"Come on Harry, let's leave them to it," Sirius said, guiding Harry towards the tapestry to explain the familial connections he had with nearly everyone in the wizarding world. Taking the hint, Dawn grabbed Buffy by the arm and dragged her bodily from the room, leaving the wizards to do their thing.

"Please don't tell me you were doing your flirt thing with Harry's godfather," Dawn said when they were out of earshot.

"Wait, what?" Buffy asked, her head whipping around in surprise to see her sister's expectant expression. "No. No, no, no. Definitely no flirtage there. Just talking. Besides, he's old."

"This coming from the girl who used to date vampires," Dawn said with a roll of her eyes.

"Shut up, that was different," Buffy retorted.

"Oh yeah, how?" Dawn asked.

"Well, they didn't look their age," Buffy replied.

"That's the reason you're going for?" Dawn asked.

"Yep," Buffy replied.

"You sure?" Dawn asked.

"Yep," Buffy replied again.

"So, when are we going to Augusta's for dinner?" Dawn asked, curious.

"No idea, why?" Buffy replied.

"No reason, although I kinda wanna see what'll happen if you don't set this up soon," Dawn said with a grin. "She'll probably be able to track you down, no problem. She seems to be the kind of person to be able to do that. And then hey, I'll get to see her smack you with her handbag again!"

"As soon as we get the owl from Dumbledore, I'll send something off," Buffy replied, rolling her eyes. The things her sister puts her through, honestly.

"What?" Dawn asked. "It's not very often I get to see someone get the better of you."

"Cause, you know, that's something I want to hear from my baby sister," Buffy said with a snort.

"Who are you calling baby, shorty?" Dawn asked.

"Anyway," Buffy said, trying to find something that would change the subject and change it fast. "I noticed that you're getting all buddy-buddy with Mr. Potter there. Something you want to tell me?"

"Nope," Dawn replied. Buffy arched an eyebrow at her. "What? There's nothing! He just looked like he needed someone who didn't know his life story to, you know, talk to him."

"Fair enough," Buffy replied. "Is Hermione really that bad about the studying?"

"A bit," Dawn replied. "But I just wanted to talk to Harry. You know, he's kind of funny when he's not being a hormonal asshat."

"And you're hoping that, with you around, he'll stop being an asshat?" Buffy asked.

"One can only hope," Dawn said as someone appeared on one of the upper landings, the noise drawing the attention of both of the Summers sisters.

"There you are!" Hermione exclaimed. "I was wondering where you had gotten to. Come on, I want to show you some of the things we've been learning in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Maybe we could compare some of the creatures with some of the things your sister has dealt with!"

"Buffy, save me, please," Dawn hissed, pleading with her sister.

"No way," Buffy replied as Hermione hurried down the stairs as quietly as she could so that she wouldn't wake up Mrs. Black. "I had to deal with it, and so do you. Quentin practically vibrated when he found something he wanted to learn more about."

"And that's kind of ick," Dawn said, wrinkling her nose as Hermione reached them, her arms loaded with books. "Here, let me take some of those."

"Thank you," Hermione said, once half of her load was gone. "Come on, I think there's room in the kitchen to do this. Don't worry about Mrs. Weasley, she's giving the rest of us the afternoon off to study or, in the case of the twins, create more of those ridiculous trick items. I can only imagine what they would be able to do if they focused their attention on something useful and constructive."

It was very clear to anyone within hearing range that Hermione did not approve of the twins' endeavours, no matter how creative or clever they were

"Don't knock the prank items," Dawn said as she followed Hermione into the kitchen. "Some of the best things to come out of the apocalypses are the jokes."

Buffy just snorted in amusement before she turned and headed back up the stairs to her room. When she got there, a handsome brown horned owl was perched on her headboard, staring at her with large, lamplike eyes. There was a letter tied to its leg, and as she approached the animal it held its leg out so that she could have easier access to the rolled up piece of parchment there. Buffy furrowed her brow when the owl didn't fly off again, but supposed that he was waiting for a response as she sat down on her bed and tore through the wax seal, the Hogwarts crest.

_Dear Miss Summers,_

_This is Mercury, one of our school owls. He will be at your service for at least the rest of the summer. I hope that you are considering my offer of employment. To help you with your decision making, I have taken the liberty of compiling a list of duties you may encounter and some suggested topics to go over._

_I hope to hear from you soon. If you have any questions, please send Mercury along and I'll seend a response posthaste._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster_

Attached to the letter, in Dumbledore's familiar script, was a comprehensive list of what she could expect as a teacher, what she could start off with - the basics, vampires, demons and the like. As she read over the list, she realized that Dumbledore was trying to make this transition as easy as possible for her, as he had done when she had first started at Hogwarts. Smiling a little to herself, she grabbed a pen and a pad of paper from her luggage and composed a reply to him, wondering how amused he'd be by the fact that she had used a ballpoint pen and lined paper instead of quill and parchment.

Before she sent Mercury off to Hogwarts, Buffy had one more short note to write, and she hoped that the owl would be able to deliver them in one go. She scribbled a short note for Augusta, asking that, instead of meeting for dinner, they meet for lunch instead, as she still needed to go shopping for Dawn's school supplies. She said that any time was fine for her and Dawn, and that if Neville wanted to come he was more than welcome.

"Mercury, here boy," Buffy said, and the owl fluttered down so that he was next to Buffy. She folded up Dumbledore's letter and wrote his name on it before she tied it to his left leg. Although she felt a little ridiculous doing this, she had been told, numerous times, that wizarding owls were exceptionally intelligent and would be able to find any recipient and follow directions to the letter. "This one is for Dumbledore at Hogwarts. I don't need a response from him. This next one is for Augusta Longbottom. I need you to stick around until she has a reply for me."

She folded up Augusta's letter and wrote her name on it, much like Dumbledore's, before tying it to Mercury's right leg. The owl hooted, as if to say "I understand" before fluttering across the room so that he would be at the window. With one great beat of his wings, he flew out the window and into the sunset, disappearing from Buffy's view before too long.

Sighing, wondering if she had made the right decision, Buffy made her way down to the kitchen, wondering what her sister was up to. She found Dawn at the table, seated next to Hermione, a book in between them. Buffy stood at the door, quietly watching her sister study for a few moments.

"It's really hard to concentrate when you're watching me like that," Dawn said, not looking up from her book.

"Sorry," Buffy replied as she crossed the room, sitting across from the younger girls. "What's the what?"

"Dark spells," Dawn replied, gesturing to the book. "Curses, hexes and all manner of nasty things. Some of this stuff could give Willow's magic a run for its money."

"Don't let her hear you say that," Buffy said, looking around in mock paranoia.

"I'm actually glad you're here, Miss Summers," Hermione said, looking at her from over her book. "I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind. I trust our previous arrangement is still acceptable?"

"Wha-?" Buffy asked, before remembering what she had said. "Oh yeah, sure. Ask and you may get answers."

"Did you really attend Hogwarts in 1943?" Hermione asked.

"Trust me, if I was going to lie about something like that, I'd make it a lot more believable," Buffy replied with a snort.

"But how did you get there?" Hermione asked. "I mean, I know you said you were sent back in time because a portal backfired, I guess you could say, but do you have any idea how unstable portal travel is?"

"I have some idea," Buffy replied. "Professor Dumbledore refused to try to send me back to my own time because he would have to use a portal. He'd rather keep me alive and in 1943 instead of trying to send me home and run the risk of killing me. Not entirely sure if Professor Dippet agreed with him - he never really seeemed to like me, but I like to think there was some kind of human soul in him."

"What makes you think he was inhuman?" Hermione asked.

"He sided with Tom Riddle instead of the other not evil people," Buffy replied with a shrug. "And we all know how Tom Riddle turned out, don't we?"

"He could have been easily manipulated," Hermione defended. Buffy was certain that Hermione was one of those girls who would not hear an ill word about the faculty, no matter how stupid or corrupt a teacher was. She shuddered at the thought of how the girl would react if she found out how they had gotten rid of the Mayor.

"I guess that could be true," Buffy replied.

"So, you went to school with Professor McGonagall?" Hermione asked, curious.

"I did," Buffy replied, wondering where this line of questioning was going. She knew Professor McGonagall was the Head of Gryffindor House, but she wasn't entirely sure how close she was to her students.

"What was she like?" Hermione asked.

"Serious, a little intense," Buffy replied. "Hell of a Quidditch player, from what I got see in practices, but since she was a reserve I didn't get to see her play in the games. Good student, fair when it came to taking points and giving out detentions. One of my best friends and she would have made a hell of a big sister if I'd stayed around long enough. Although Terrence Longbottom was apparently convinced I'd be Buffy Longbottom before I started my seventh year."

"You knew Neville's grandparents?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Buffy replied. She was sure she had given this information out the previous evening, but maybe she hadn't given out this much detail. "Terrence pretty much acted like a big brother from the get-go and Augusta was one of my best friends. Speaking of, Dawn, I asked Augusta to meet us for lunch some time this week. I'm just waiting for a when from her. Maybe we could pick up your school stuff while we're out?"

"Sounds good," Dawn said with a nod.

"So, you would have been Neville's great aunt Buffy?" Hermione asked, a hint of a smile on her face.

"Who knows?" Buffy asked. She was beginning to get a little uncomfortable about the direction this conversation was going. It hurt, a little bit, to talk about what might have been, what could have been if Abraxas Malfoy hadn't decided she needed to go. She'd thought she'd put Hogwarts behind her when she had returned to Sunnydale, thought she'd never see the castle or the wizarding world again. "The only way to know is to go back in time, and I'd rather not."

"Hey Hermione, how about you tell me all of the stuff you helped Harry learn last year?" Dawn asked, bringing the conversation back to schoolwork. Buffy could have kissed her sister then, for being able to tell that she was becoming monumentally uncomfortable with the personal interrogation. Any more questions, and she would have put a stop to it, but she was saved from having to deal with the disappointed look she was sure to get by Dawn changing the subject before Buffy had to resort to refusing to answer the questions Hermione asked.

"Oh, you mean for the TriWizard Tournament?" Hermione asked, and she was away again, in lecture mode, reminding Buffy of an odd combination of Willow and Giles, a pang of something stabbing through her heart when she her thoughts focused on the redheaded witch. While not precisely fighting, they hadn't spoken in weeks, mostly due to wacky timezones and spotty communication channels, considering she was in South America. Xander was no better, gallivanting across Africa, searching for Slayers.

Buffy listened carefully to what Hermione was telling Dawn, fascinated at how three fourteen year olds had learned spells and techniques to get through a gauntlet of tasks. These same skills had served Harry in keeping him alive in a duel against Lord Voldemort. While she hadn't seen Tom duel at school, nor had she seen his abilities in Defence Against the Dark Arts because he was in a different class, she had heard that he was excellent at the subject, helping her with her homework when they were taking a break from their Potions tutoring. She knew that, being evil, he didn't play fair, and was impressed that Harry was able to get out relatively unscathed, physically anyway.

Buffy decided that it was time for her to start asking questions. To start, she'd track down Harry and get some answers out of him, as long as he was willing to give them.

XOXOXO

Woohoo, Chapter 7 is here! For those of you wondering why I'm not updating Sunnydale Shinigami, that's because I'd like to get this story caught up to Sunnydale before I start updating that one again. I do have several chapters finished on that one, so updates will be coming weekly when I do start updating again.

An additional note: My computer has been a bit of a PITA these last few days, so I'm not entirely sure when I'll be able to update the next chapter. Here's hoping this will tide you over, eh?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When Buffy returned to her room after a rather uneventful dinner, she was a little surprised to find Mercury perched on her headboard, staring at her intently, a piece of rolled up parchment tied to his leg. While she had told him not to come back without a reply from Augusta, she was sure Mercury wouldn't have been able to make the trip to Hogwarts and Augusta's and back in one afternoon. Crossing the room, Buffy took the piece of parchment and unrolled it, aware of the fact that the owl was looking at her expectantly.

"I might have something for you in a second, just hold on," Buffy replied, petting the owl's head as she read over the note. It was from Augusta, as she had expected, letting her know that she and Neville would be shopping for his school supplies the next day, they would be happy if Buffy and Dawn joined them and would meet them at the Three Broomsticks at eleven thirty if they were so inclined to be there. Grabbing a piece of notebook paper, she scribbled a note on it saying that she would be there, as would Dawn, if her sister was so inclined. She tied the note to Mercury's leg and patted him on the head one more time.

"That's to go back to Augusta Longbottom," Buffy replied. "As long as it gets there by breakfast time, I'm happy."

With a hoot, the owl took flight out the window again, flying fast and free until it was just a dot on the horizon, before it disappeared. Buffy sighed and flopped back onto the bed, knowing she should do some reading to catch up on what has happened in the wizarding world, history-wise, but she didn't feel particularly inclined to do it. She knew that wizarding history, especially from the 1960's and beyond, would have Voldemort featuring heavily and Buffy wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to read about everything the boy she had loved had done. It was difficult for her to reconcile the boy she had known with the man he had become; it was like he was two different people. From what Buffy had gleaned from everyone around her, Voldemort didn't even look like the handsome, charming boy Buffy had fallen for, and fallen hard for, so many years ago.

It was a lot to take in. Right now, she made it easier on herself by believing that Tom and Voldemort were two separate entities entirely, and although intellectually she knew it wasn't true, it made it easier on her heart, broken as it was.

"Whatcha doin'?" Dawn asked as she bounced into the room and flopped onto the bed next to Buffy.

"Thinking," Buffy replied, propping herself up onto her elbows. "Where's Hermione?"

"Hanging out with Ginny, probably," Dawn replied with a shrug. "Feels like she's neglecting her best girl friend or something."

"Hey, it means you have a night off," Buffy said. Dawn smiled at that.

"You're right," Dawn replied. "So, what were you thinking about? Because you look like you were thinking the deep thoughts."

"I was," Buffy replied.

"Want to share?" Dawn asked.

"Just a second," Buffy replied as she got up and shut the door. She took her wand out and cast an Imperturbable Charm on the door, which Molly had taught her some days before after she had heard about the eavesdropping incident.

"What did you just do?" Dawn asked, curious.

"Imperturbable Charm," Buffy replied with a shrug as she slipped her wand away, currently hidden underneath her pillow. "It'll keep the prying ears away."

"Good plan," Dawn said. "So, thinking deep thoughts?"

"A bit, yeah," Buffy replied. "Comparing Tom to Voldemort and not seeing anything the same. It's like they're different people."

"Like Angel and Angelus?" Dawn asked.

"Yes and no," Buffy replied. "While Angel and Angelus had wildly different personalities, they looked the exact same. If you didn't know them well, you wouldn't be able to tell which one you're talking to. With Tom and Voldemort, they look completely different, act completely different. I can't see the guy I fell in love with turning into what everyone is saying he is. I just can't see it."

"Maybe you couldn't see it, and maybe he wasn't going to, but maybe something happened after you left to make him all crazy and evil," Dawn suggested.

"Like what?" Buffy asked.

"Well, it could be anything," Dawn replied. "I was reading some of Giles' books before we left, psychology and stuff, and with some people it could take one small event to completely break them. A death of someone they loved, a break up, failing a class. We've seen it happen. Remember when Willow went all Darth Rosenberg?"

"Can't really forget it," Buffy replied, her mind reeling. Could her disappearance have caused him to turn evil? She knew he wasn't any kind of angel when she met him; while her friends had never gone into specifics about what he had done in the past, Buffy had gotten the impression that he manipulated and intimidated everyone around him to do his bidding. The majority of the teachers didn't know what was going on, but Buffy surmised that Dumbledore did. He had always seemed distrustful of Tom, although that distrust had seemed to lessen once Tom was spending more time with Buffy. He seemed to be turning over a new leaf after they had started seeing each other. Could her disappearance really have undone all of the changes he had been going through? Or had he been going through them at all?"

"Well, what if you were Tom's Tara, and he didn't have a Xander to bring him back down to earth?" Dawn suggested.

"It's entirely possible," Buffy replied, thinking back to that horrible day, her last day at Hogwarts. Something that was said by Abraxas really stuck with her. "One of the guys, Malfoy, had said that Tom was changing too much and that they needed to get rid of me to turn him back into the leader they needed."

"For a group of people who were supposed to be all sneaky and stuff, they really went out of their way to make sure you knew their plans," Dawn said with a snort. "Classic bad guy syndrome."

"Probably to make sure I didn't try to find my way back," Buffy replied with a shrug, a little sad. Tom had been a bastard before her, but she really believed that he was turning into a better person. The things Abraxas said, about Tom being one of those pureblood supremacists, really didn't go with what she had known of her former boyfriend, although they hadn't really labelled their relationship at the time.

"Do you want to stop talking about it?" Dawn asked.

"A little bit, yeah," Buffy replied. She glanced at her sister. "When did you get so insightful?"

"Hello, I almost never had friends my own age," Dawn said. "When you spend your time around adults most of your teenage life, you learn stuff. Like how to not deal with difficult situations."

"So true, so true," Buffy said with a little laugh. "So, Augusta wanted to know if we wanted to join her and Neville for some shopping tomorrow. I already said I'd be there, but if you don't want to come we can get your school supplies shopping done later."

"Sounds cool," Dawn said with a nod. "I kinda want to meet some of the people I'm going to be going to school with, even if we don't end up in the same house. Do siblings make it into the same house all the time?"

"I don't know," Buffy replied. "Terrence and Algie were, but Minerva's sister was still too young to go to Hogwarts when I was there. I think it's pretty common."

"Yeah," Dawn said with a nod. "I mean, look at the Weasleys. They're all in Gryffindor, every last one of them. Except for one cousin, but Ron told me he's a Squib and works as an accountant. What's a Squib?"

"Non-magic person born into a magical family," Buffy replied, remembering a conversation she and Quentin had had one afternoon about the different levels of blood purity. "They're pretty much the opposite of a Muggle born, but way more rare."

"Ah," Dawn said with another sage nod. "Well, I'm going to head back and find Hermione, see if she'll let me in on girl time. The stuff she's teaching me is pretty interesting, once she gets out of lecture mode. If not, I'll go and try to find Harry."

"Wait till you're actually allowed to use your wand," Buffy said. "Whole new experience. Not even going to touch the whole you looking for Harry thing."

"Looking forward to it," Dawn said as she got up and skipped across the room. When she opened the door, Harry stood there, his hand poised to knock, a stunned expression on his face when Dawn had opened the door.

"I wasn't eavesdropping, I swear!" he said quickly. Dawn just giggled at him.

"You wouldn't have been able to anyway," she said. "Buffy put one of those imperturbable thingies on the door."

"Ah," Harry said. "Well then, that's good."

"So, were you looking for me?" Dawn asked. "I was going to go and find Hermione to see if she would let me hang out with her and Ginny. You're welcome to join me on the hunt, if you want."

"Actually, I was looking for your sister," Harry said sheepishly. Dawn deflated a little. "I'll come down and help once I'm done. I promise."

"Okay," Dawn replied, her voice and stride buoyant again as she practically skipped down the hallway.

"So, you said you were looking for me?" Buffy asked, quirking an eyebrow. Harry just stood in the doorway, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, as if he wasn't sure what to do with himself. "You can come in, you know. I don't bite. Unless you want to do this somewhere else that isn't the bedroom of the girl you like."

"Er, um, that is to say," Harry stammered, his face going red. Buffy sometimes forgot how young some of these kids were – Harry, Ron and Hermione were about the same age Buffy was when she had been Called.

"It's okay, your secret is safe with me," Buffy said. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you," Harry said. He was still standing at the door, looking awkward.

"Seriously, you can come in," Buffy said, casting a look around the room to make sure that there wasn't anything inherently embarrassing in the room. Seeing nothing, she turned her attention back to Harry, a warm smile on her face. Finally taking the invitation, Harry entered the room fully, closing the door behind him.

"Don't want to be overheard," he said as he sat down on the bed, gingerly, next to Buffy.

"Understandable," Buffy said. "So, what's the what? Unless it's how you're hot for my sister. If it's that, I don't want to hear it."

"It's not," Harry said, his face going red again. He shook his head, as if to clear it, before he continued. "How do you do it?"

"How do I do what?" Buffy asked, perplexed, blinking at him.

"How do you live with this big, bad destiny over your head?" Harry asked. "Hermione gave me a book to read on Slayers and it said that you're Chosen by some higher power to fight against the forces of darkness. How do you deal with it?"

"One day at a time," Buffy replied. "My friends have been my rock over the years. If I didn't have them, I probably would have stayed dead that first time."

"You mean, you've died? More than once?" Harry asked, his green eyes widening. "But, you're sitting here. Alive. And not a zombie."

"Well, the first time there was this prophecy that said I was going to die at the hands of the Master," Buffy said. At Harry's curious look, Buffy explained. "Really old, really ugly vampire. Anyway, there was this prophecy."

"There always is, isn't there?" Harry asked thoughtfully.

"Yeah, they suck," Buffy agreed. "Anyway, as I said, prophecy about my death. And, you know, I did die. He bit me, drank my blood until I passed out and tossed me face down into a puddle. I drowned."

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"My best friend Xander had been following me and he showed up in time to give me CPR," Buffy replied. "I got up, slayed the Master, and still had enough time to go party at Homecoming."

"How do you keep it from consuming you? Letting the fight just… take over you?" Harry asked.

"Again, my friends," Buffy replied. "They gave me something to work for, something to believe in outside of the nightly patrols, the vampire slaying. You see, I was a little weird when it came to being a Potential. The majority of the Potentials are taken from their families when they're babies and placed with a Watcher, who teaches them about their, er, potential destiny. No attachment. Kind of like the Jedi, actually. Only one in a generation is going to get the power to be a Slayer. I dunno why I was skipped. Maybe they just couldn't find me. Or maybe they didn't think my Potential-ness was strong enough for me to become the Slayer. I don't know, but imagine my surprise when I got out of school one day and some guy came up to me, saying I had this great destiny to meet."

"How old were you?" Harry asked.

"Fifteen," Buffy replied. "But I heard you've been doing the fighting evil thing since you were, like, eleven. Technically, since you were born."

"Up until last year it was sheer dumb luck," Harry said sheepishly. "Hermione and Ron helped a lot, especially last year, letting me practice spells on them so that I could prepare for the TriWizard Tournament."

A dark look fell over his face after that, and Buffy realized that she might have gone too far. She wanted to know what had happened when he had been transported to the graveyard – Dumbledore had only been able to give her the barest of details, considering the only person in that graveyard who hadn't been a Death Eater was currently sitting next to her.

"If you don't want to keep talking, that's okay," Buffy said. "I mean, I have questions, but if you're not ready to talk about it, that's okay. I can wait."

"I'm really not ready," Harry said. "It happened not too long ago and it's still fresh, you know? I still have nightmares."

"If it makes you feel better, I still have nightmares about the Master. And Angelus. And my resurrection," Buffy replied. "And all of the crap that happens on a nightly basis. Talking about it helps, sometimes, but some people don't understand what you're going through. I'm guessing Ron and Hermione are trying to get the information out of you?"

"Sometimes," Harry said. "Most of the time they're trying to make sure they don't say anything that'll make me freak out at them. I'm, er, a little angry because I've been left in the dark for so long, about everything. Dawn gave me a bit of a reality check, but it's still frustrating, you know?"

"They don't want you to worry," Buffy said. "If you're not involved, they don't want you to know. They probably want you to be a kid for as long as possible. This conflict isn't going to end tomorrow and you're going to have your time on the front lines. It's just not now. Be a kid, freak out about exams and Quidditch and girls. Be aware of the stuff that goes on out there, but don't go out looking for trouble. Does that help a little?"

"You sound like you've had to say that before," Harry said.

"My mom, Xander, Willow, Dawn," Buffy replied. "They all wanted to help fight when they found out what I was. Some got to, some didn't. Some didn't give me a choice."

She smiled a little at that, remembering how both Xander and Willow had insisted on helping her, even when she and Giles had told them it was too dangerous. They'd been much help when out slaying vampires and the other things that went bump in the night, although not without great personal sacrifice.

"Thanks for the chat, Buffy," Harry said with a smile. "It really helped me put some things in perspective."

"That's me, perspective girl," Buffy said with a smile back. "Now go find my sister. But if you're going to drag her off to make out with her, do it in a place I'll never find you."

"You're definitely odd," Harry said with a shake of his head, smile still on his face.

"That's all a part of my charm," Buffy replied, before waving him off. "Now get going, I need to do some catching up on my history reading. I've got over sixty years of wizarding history to catch up on."

"There are a couple of history books in the library here," Harry said. "I think Mrs. Weasley said they had gotten rid of most of the really dangerous ones. Not sure how recent some of them are, but it's definitely a start."

"Thanks for the tip," Buffy said as Harry got up from his seat on her bed and left the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as she was sure he was out of earshot, Buffy slipped out of her bedroom and made her way to the library, wondering what kind of history she was going to find.

XOXOXO

The next morning Buffy came down to the kitchen to the usual amount of chaos, but there was something a little off about the scene. It took her a few moments to realize that Mr. Weasley was dressed in Muggle clothing and Harry was sitting at the table, dressed in his best clothes, picking at his breakfast.

"Why so glum, chum?" Buffy asked as she slid into her seat next to Dawn, which was across from Harry's.

"Hearing today," Harry replied glumly.

"Oh. Right," Buffy said.

"We'll be thinking about you," Dawn said. "Right, Buffy?"

"Of course," Buffy said. "They don't have a case against you, anyway. Straight self defence, open and shut. You should be fine."

"I hope you're right," Harry said. "I don't want to go back to the Dursley's."

"You won't," Sirius said. "I won't let that happen."

"Neither will we," Dawn said. "If you can't make it was a wizard, I'm sure Giles would love having someone with combat and magical experience training as a Watcher."

"Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Molly said, sending a sharp look to both Sirius and Dawn. "I'm sure Harry will be back here in no time, fully cleared and ready to head back to Hogwarts in September."

The tone in Molly's voice kept Sirius and Dawn from arguing, and the remainder of breakfast was passed in silence until Arthur rose.

"Well, Harry, are you ready to go?" he asked, smiling down at the boy in question.

"About as ready as I'm going to be," Harry replied with a sigh.

"Good luck," Dawn said, reaching across the table to grasp Harry's hand, briefly. He smiled at her gratefully before getting up and leaving with Mr. Weasley among choruses of "good luck" from everyone in the kitchen.

"So, do you girls have any plans today?" Molly asked after Harry and her husband had left.

"We do, actually," Buffy replied. "August invited me and Dawn out to lunch this afternoon. She's bringing Neville so I can tell him all about his Grandpa Terrence."

"So, you really did go to school with Neville's grandparents? You weren't making that stuff up?" Ron asked.

"No," Buffy replied. "Why would I?"

"I don't know, to gain our trust or something," Ron said with a shrug.

"If I wanted to gain your trust, believe me, I wouldn't have made this up," Buffy replied with a snort. "If you guys want documented proof, I could probably get August or Minnie to give me copies of all of the pictures they have of us together. There aren't a lot, but there has to be some."

"And I think that's enough of that line of questioning," Molly said, her tone making no room for arguments. "Now then, if you're all done with breakfast, there are a couple of closets to be cleaned out. Dawn, Buffy, you have fun this afternoon."

Grumbles were heard around the table as everyone cleared their dishes before leaving to start on their chores. Buffy felt a little guilty for taking away two members of the workforce - she'd been doing her fair share of cleaning, as had Dawn - but reconnecting with her old friends was important and something she thought was very valuable in her reintegration into the wizarding world.

XOXOXO

The Leaky Cauldron, as Buffy discovered soon after disembarking the Knight Bus, would have been difficult to find if she hadn't been dropped off right on its doorstep. Its doorway was squished between two rather large shops, and she was sure that there wasn't enough room for a closet, let alone a pub and rooming house. However, as she had also discovered as being a member of the magical community, however briefly, things were not always as they seemed.

The pub was half full when Buffy and Dawn entered, and it wasn't long before they spotted Augusta and a teenaged boy, whom they instantly assumed was Neville. The Summers sisters were waved over as soon as they were spotted, the Longbottoms standing as the girls approached.

"Hi," Buffy greeted, hugging August. They broke apart and August surprised Dawn, and probably Neville, by wrapping Dawn in a hug as well. Buffy turned her attention to Neville, whose brown eyes were wide with surprise. "Hi, you must be Neville. I'm Buffy, and old friend of your grandparents'."

"Pleased to meet you," he said as all four of them sat down. There was silence for a few moments; Neville was staring at Buffy, and she was feeling rather unnerved.

"So, I'm guessing you have questions," Buffy said, turning her attention to Neville.

"How do you know that?" Neville asked warily.

"It's a safe assumption. Everyone I've talked to over the couple of days has had at least one question to ask me," Buffy replied. "So, I'll give you the same deal I gave them. You have questions, I'll try to answer them. Unless they're too personal, at which time I'll tell you so, but I won't stop you from asking more questions."

"Okay," Neville said nervously as he glanced at his grandmother. Augusta nodded at her grandson and he turned his attention back to Buffy. "Can you tell me about my grandfather?"

While she knew it would come up some time during the course of the afternoon, Buffy was surprised that a question about Terrence was the first thing about Neville's mouth. She knew that he hadn't known Terrence all that well, the man dying when Neville was five years old.

"Sure," Buffy said with a smile, knowing that these stories would be of benefit to Dawn and Augusta as well, the former learning more about Buffy's time at Hogwarts and the latter being able to relive the good times.

They spoke all through lunch, Neville and Dawn peppering Buffy and Augusta with questions. Given the chance, they probably would have kept at it all afternoon, but Dawn had books and a wand to pick out, and Buffy had to pay for them. They bid each other good-bye, making promises to keep in touch over the rest of the summer and to keep in contact once Dawn arrived at Hogwarts, even if she didn't end up in Gryffindor. Well, unless she ended up in Slytherin, then all bets were off, and Buffy was sure that Neville was only half joking about that.

Buffy and Dawn departed The Leaky Cauldron and, after a quick trip to Gringott's to transfer her British pounds into Galleons, Sickles and Knuts, headed straight to Ollivander's Wand Shop. While Buffy was the current owner of a wand crafted by Mr. Ollivander, she had never seen the inside of his shop. Dumbledore had gotten him to come to the school and she had gotten her wand there.

The shop itself was dark and dusty and it looked a little neglected. It was so still and silent that Buffy wasn't even sure if it was open, although the sign was flipped to say "open" and the door was unlocked.

"Hello?" Buffy said cautiously. A man popped out of the shadows, old and wizened, his bright grey eyes inquisitive when he saw who had entered his shop. Much like everyone else in her life, he was older, greyer and wrinklier, but this was the same Mr. Ollivander who had sold her her wand all the way back in 1943.

"Miss Summers, is that you?" he asked, coming forward so that he could get a better look at her. "My, you're looking remarkably well-preserved for someone of your age."

"In the flesh," Buffy replied. "And I jumped a few years into the future. Well, more than a few years. It's a long, long story."

"Ah, yes. I see. If I recall correctly, and I do, you're a rosewood wand, nine inches, with three drops of vampire blood. Thicker than the average wand and could be used as a stake," Ollivander said. "How has it held up over all of these years? Any problems with it at all?"

"Excellent, works really well when I get a chance to use it. Feels like an extension of me," Buffy replied. "Which is weird considering what's in it. Haven't used it as a stake yet and I don't really have any plans to."

"No, no, I wouldn't either," Ollivander said with a shake of his head. He turned his attention to Dawn. "And who might this be?"

"My sister, Dawn," Buffy replied. "She's starting at Hogwarts this year. A fifth year."

"Ah, good to meet you, good to meet you," Ollivander said. "Had I known you were coming in today, I would have gotten some of my more unique selections ready."

"I thought you knew all?" Buffy said, having heard stories of how perceptive the wand maker was, bordering on psychic.

"No, just merely perceptive," Ollivander said. "Let's get started, shall we? These things can take time and I'm sure you have other things to do before the day is out."

"Let's do this thing," Buffy said, sitting down on the one chair as Dawn stood in the middle of the shop.

"Hold out your wand arm, please," Ollivander said as he took out a measuring tape. Dawn held out her right arm and Ollivander measured her arm before turning and turning to grab a few boxes from the back. Dawn watched, astonished, as the tape continued to measure her, measuring the distances between various things and the circumference of various appendages at certain points. The tape was measuring the circumference of Dawn's head when Ollivander returned, his arms laden with boxes.

"This should get us started. You can stop that now," he said. The second pat of the statement seemed to be directed at the measuring tape, because it dropped to the floor, completely lifeless. "Knowing your sister, I have included a selection of my more unusual projects and my standard wands and we'll narrow them down from there."

"Sounds like a plan, Stan," Dawn said with a decisive nod. Ollivander just smiled at her, amused, before handing her a rather light looking wand.

"Birch, Thestral hair, ten inches," he said, snatching it out of Dawn's hand almost as soon as she had placed her fingers on it. "No, no, that one won't do. Here, try this one. Unicorn hair, willow, nine and three quarters inches."

This, too, was snatched out of Dawn's fingers. As was the next one, and the one after that. There were several more incidences of non reactive wands, and Buffy was a little worried that they had been mistaken, that Dawn didn't have magical aptitude after all. However, Ollivander just seemed to be more pleased with each wand that got tossed aside, his grin widening each time.

"Difficult customer, eh?" he asked. "Not to worry, not to worry, the wand chooses the wizard. You're not my first client with picky wand tastes and you definitely won't be the last. Let's try this one, as rare as your sister's. I wouldn't be surprised if this one picked you."

Dawn grabbed the wand, a light wood one about ten inches in length. As soon as the wood hit her fingers, she was filled with warmth as sparks flew out of the tip, bright blue and gold.

"I'm guessing vampire blood?" Buffy asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes," Ollivander replied. "Willow, ten and a quarter inches, three drops of vampire's blood."

"Which vampire?" Dawn asked.

"A rather interesting fellow named William the Bloody," Ollivander replied. "Ran into him in a pub several years ago. Fascinating, trading stories with him. Said if I told him an interesting enough story, he would give me some of his blood to experiment on."

"It would figure you'd get Spike's blood in your wand," Buffy said with a roll of her eyes. She turned her attention to Ollivander. "How much for the wand? And before you say it was an experiment and that you couldn't dream of charging me, you did that to me last time."

Ollivander gave Buffy a price and she handed over the coins without protest. As Ollivander wrapped the package for them to take with them, he spoke to Dawn.

"You must tell me how your wand fares," he said, handing the package to Dawn. "I like to know how my experiments work out. I often have tea with Professor Dumbledore during the school year, seeing how business is slow, and I would love to chat with you about this instrument, if your schedule allows."

"Sure, looking forward to it," Dawn said as she accepted the package.

"It was nice seeing you again," Buffy said.

"The pleasure is all mine," Ollivander replied with a smile. "You must write to me once you've used your wand a little more, let me know how it's working."

"Will do," Buffy said. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome," Ollivander said with a smile and a wave as they left, making room for a couple in their mid-thirties with a girl around the age of eleven.

"So, I have a wand with Spike's blood," Dawn said as they stepped out into the alley. "That's kind of weird."

"It would be, if mind didn't have Angel's blood in it," Buffy replied. "I guess it kind of figured that we get wands with the supernatural creatures we were closest with, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess," Dawn replied. "So, books?"

"Sure, books," Buffy replied. "And maybe we can grab some ice cream before heading home. I've heard really good things about the place here and I want to try it out."

"Sure. Lead on, big sister," Dawn said, gesturing Buffy to lead the way, although neither of them knew where, exactly, they were going. As long as they avoided Knockturn Alley, they'd be all right.

**XOXOXO**

**Okay, so I'm back. My computer was dead up until early February and you have _no idea _of the withdrawal symptoms I was going through without this thing. I had 3k of this chapter written before my computer went down and not having access to this story or any of my others was killing me. If I hadn't had my phone to check my emails and Facebook I probably would have gone completely bonkers. But, I have my computer back, my boyfriend was able to retrieve my documents before he did what he had to do to fix it and now everything is fine.**

**I know Dawn's wand is a little clichéd, like Buffy's, but I had to do it. I _had _to. It just seemed right, having them have related wands.**

**As always, feedback is definitely appreciated. Next chapter shouldn't take nearly as long, although it might take me a bit to get me back into the habit of writing every single day again.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

After a trip to Madam Malkin's for Dawn's uniform and some general robes for Buffy - Dumbledore had strongly suggested that it would be a good idea for Buffy to have some, even if it was just for teaching - they headed to Flourish and Blott's for their books. Dumbledore had also given Buffy a list of books for her to read in his last letter, and she wanted to pick up a few of them, as she wasn't entirely sure when she would be able to head back to Diagon Alley. She was rather thankful for the large amount of money she'd brought with them - with Dawn's tastes on top of the books on her list, Buffy was certain they'd be spending the vast majority of the money.

"Here's your list," Buffy said, handing over the piece of parchment that contained Dawn's book list. "Go nuts. But not too nuts. We still have to get your potions stuff. And, you know, actual school supplies like parchment and quills."

"Can't I just use a pen and paper like normal people?" Dawn asked, a hint of a whine in her voice.

"Dawnie, in this world _we're _the weird ones," Buffy said. She made a "shooing" motion. "Now go. Find books. Don't cause any trouble, k?"

"Me, cause trouble?" Dawn asked with a mock innocent expression. "Unthinkable!"

"I know you, though," Buffy said. "If there's trouble, you'll find it. So… don't find it."

"Fine," Dawn replied, sulking. "Ruin my fun."

"You'll have lots of fun," Buffy said, rolling her eyes. "You like the books. Now _go. _We still have other stuff to do."

Dawn turned and left, list in hand, and Buffy waited to make sure that there were no scuffles or issues before she turned and headed to the History section, where the vast majority of the books Dumbledore had recommended were. There were also a few Defence Against the Dark Arts books, mostly to give Buffy an idea of how the wizarding world viewed the things she fought, but it appeared as if Dumbledore wanted Buffy to be caught up on all of the things she had missed since she had left. Which was completely fair - she didn't want to be lost when it came to talking about wizarding events, both past and future.

Buffy was just about to pick up a book from the shelf when she heard her sister's voice a couple of aisles over, obviously unhappy.

"Why do I even bother?" Buffy asked herself as she shelved the book she had been looking at and headed to where she had heard her sister. When she had arrived, the scene wasn't one that she expected.

Dawn was standing in the middle of the aisle, glaring at a blond-haired boy only a couple of inches taller than her. The boy was glaring right back, and they both had their hands on a book, each trying to tug it from the other's hands.

"I saw it first," Dawn said, tugging the book. The boy held on fast.

"But I am vastly superior to you, and therefore I deserve the book. You can have one of those second hand ones. You're probably used to them, anyway," the boy said with a delicate sniff. He was pale, with blonde hair and grey eyes. If he wasn't related to the Malfoys, Buffy would eat her favorite stake.

"But I saw it first," Dawn reiterated. "Picked it up, even, and then you went all grabby-hands with it."

"Problem?" Buffy asked, arriving to stand next to Dawn.

"Just dealing with Grabby McGrab-Hands," Dawn replied, still holding on to the book.

"Which she's completely lying about," the blonde said with a sneer. Yep, definitely a Malfoy.

"Look, my sister's new this year and she needs all of the study time she can get," Buffy said. "Think you could, I don't know, pick up your book on another day? You, already being a student at Hogwarts and probably way advanced over my sister, don't really need the book right this very minute. Am I getting close?"

"Draco, what's taking you so long?"

Another blonde male, this one taller and older than the one arguing with Dawn, approached and stood behind Draco, a hand on his shoulder. Buffy looked up; yep, definitely Malfoys. This man was nearly a spitting image of Abraxas, except for the long hair and the look as if he smelled something bad. Abraxas, at least, had tried to keep that at a minimum. He had let his words express his feelings instead.

"Just picking up The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Five, Father," the boy, Draco, said, looking up at the man.

"Stealing it from me, more like," Dawn grumbled.

"You haven't purchased it, so I'm not stealing from you," Draco replied haughtily.

"Look, I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement," Buffy said, holding her hands up.

"And I've already given you one," Draco replied. "I'll get this one and you can get yours second hand."

"Now, now, Draco, that's hardly the way to treat guests to our little corner of the world," said the man. "I'm sure she'll need all the help she can get."

When Buffy had said it, she was just speaking the truth. When this man had said it, there was a tone of mocking condescension in his voice. It definitely wasn't something that Buffy liked, but then again, she didn't like Malfoys in general.

"You wouldn't be related to the Malfoys, would you?" Buffy asked.

"Lucius Malfoy. This is my son, Draco," the man, Lucius, replied.

"Huh, I knew I recognized the false sense of entitlement and unwarranted arrogance from somewhere," Buffy said, mentally cheering at the Giles-esque insult she had just thrown out.

"And how do you know of the great house of Malfoy?" Lucius said with a sneer. "And who, precisely, are you? You have us at a disadvantage. You know who we are, and yet we know nothing of you. It's only polite."

"Things I've heard, things I've seen," Buffy replied. "Can we have our book now? We still have some stuff to pick up before the stores close. Oh yeah, I'm Buffy Summers and this is my sister Dawn."

"Why would you need this book anyway?" Draco asked. "It's a Hogwarts textbook, and Yanks don't go to Hogwarts."

"This Yank does," Dawn replied. "And this Yank, as Buffy said, needs that book. So, if you'd just hand it over we'll be on our way."

"Come along, Draco," Lucius said, his grip tightening on his son's shoulder. "The book is soiled, anyhow. We'll get one delivered to the house."

"And that's why I don't like pureblood bigots," Buffy said with a snort after Lucius and Draco were out of earshot. "How much more stuff do you need? Because I don't want to stick around here much longer."

"Everything was pretty easy to find," Dawn replied. She pointed to a table. "There's all of the books for fifth years, right there."

"Convenient," Buffy said with an impressed nod. "I just need to pick up a couple of books. Give me a few more minutes and we'll check out, grab the rest of your stuff and head back to the house."

"Sounds like a plan," Dawn said.

Thankfully, they didn't run into anyone else while checking our of Flourish and Blott's, nor did they encounter anyone when they hit up the potions supply store or the stationary store. Dawn wrinkled her nose a little at having to use quills and parchment for her written assignments instead of the much preferred and far easier to use ballpoint pen and lined paper, but the fun coloured inks she picked out almost made up for it. By the time they were finished, it was getting late and they decided to bypass getting ice cream in favour of getting to the party that would evidently be happening back at the house. There was no way Harry would have been kicked out of school, and everyone back at headquarters would definitely be celebrating.

The Knight Bus dropped them off a couple of blocks from Grimmauld Place. Stan had been very helpful in getting their bags off of the bus, but they were still on their own when it came to getting their stuff back to headquarters. Thankfully, Buffy had opted for getting complimentary feather-light charms on their bags, and made a mental note to learn a shrinking charm so that she could have just put the bags in her pocket next time. Or invest in one of those bottomless bags she had ended up buying Dawn for school.

Headquarters was rather quiet as the Summers sisters entered, and Buffy wasn't entirely sure that was a good thing. Maybe Harry and Mr. Weasley weren't home yet? Although, the way Buffy understood it, the hearing was only to be a small affair, no more than an hour, and it was nearing four in the afternoon now. Maybe Harry hadn't been cleared and everyone was miserable and depressed?

"I'm going to go and put these upstairs," Dawn said, gesturing to the bags she was now holding.

"Good idea," Buffy replied. "If you find someone, ask them what's going on. It's really quiet around here."

"Maybe Harry's not back yet," Dawn said with a shrug. She gestured to the portrait of Mrs. Black, covered by her curtain. "And, you know, with crazy witch-monster there, you can't really be all that loud anyway."

"Good point," Buffy said as she hiked up the bags a little so that they wouldn't drag on the stairs. Just as she was about to move, though, Buffy tripped over a stray shoe that had been left in the entryway. While she didn't make a lot of noise when she fell, being such a small woman, it was enough to wake up Walburga Black, who started screaming almost immediately, the curtain in front of her portrait flying open as if by magic.

"_MUDBLOOD WHORE! GRYFFINDOR HARLOT!_" she screamed, her insults directed straight at Buffy. "_BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS WITH THE REST OF THE MUDBLOODS AND HALF-BREEDS!"_

"For the love of Merlin, don't you have anything new?" Buffy yelled over the screaming, still about the mudbloods and blood traitors now living in her home. The other portraits in the entry hall had also started yelling, although no where near the level of Mrs. Black. "Shut _up, _you miserable old hag!"

Buffy closed the curtain again, muffling the sound of her shrieks. The other portraits' yelling had also died down, leaving a dull murmur of voices behind. It hadn't been a long yell-fest, but it was enough to bring people out of their rooms. There were sounds of movement from above and before long a voice hailed them from the second floor.

"You're back?" Harry asked, poking his head over the banister so that he could see Buffy and Dawn. "Good, I have some good news for you!"

"You got cleared?" Dawn asked as Harry came down the stairs, meeting her halfway.

"Yep," Harry replied with a grin. Dawn shrieked happily, but quietly, as she flung her arms around Harry's neck. The poor boy, probably unused to being hugged, let alone hugged by a pretty girl he hadn't known since the age of eleven, stood there awkwardly, his cheeks turning pink before he wrapped his arms around Dawn. Smiling, Buffy looked up to see if anyone else was wondering what was going on. As she did, she saw a flash of bright red hair as someone turned quickly away from the banister.

Curiouser and curiouser. This might warrant some investigation.

XOXOXO

Buffy might not have been the brightest crayon in the box most of the time, but she could read people, and read them pretty well. She could tell when there was a change in someone she was in close contact with, and having spent the last couple of weeks cooped up with the same people, she'd learned a lot of their mannerisms and habits. One person, in particular, was acting strangely, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

"So, what's with the mopey routine?" Buffy asked Sirius one afternoon when she had found him alone in the kitchen, staring blankly down at a cup of tea.

"I beg your pardon?" Sirius asked, looking up at Buffy in surprise as she grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl in the middle of the table and sat across from him.

"You. Moping," Buffy replied. "I mean, you were kinda down when we first got here, but now you look like someone kicked your puppy or something. What gives?"

"For someone who just joined our organization, you're very nosy," Sirius said with a huff, taking a sip of his tea.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," Buffy said, taking her apple and getting up. "I'll just go, then."

"Wait," Sirius said, grabbing Buffy's arm. She looked at him, curious. "I didn't say I wasn't going to tell you. I just thought you ought to know that you're extraordinarily nosy."

"When you've been out of the loop, you tend to ask a lot of questions to get back up to speed," Buffy replied. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"If you sit with me for a while," Sirius replied. "It's been a long time since I've been around a woman who wasn't related to me, crazy, a mother figure or jail bait."

"And on that weird little note, I guess I'm staying. So, what's the what?" Buffy asked as she sat back down. It wasn't until she did so that he let go of her arm. "Wait a sec, let me guess. You're depressed because Harry's going back to Hogwarts."

"You don't miss a lot, do you?" Sirius asked.

"I miss tons, but not the important stuff," Buffy replied with a shrug. "Wait, you mean I'm right? Go me!"

"In a way," Sirius replied. "Being cooped up in this house, doing nothing for the Order, it's wearing on me. I thought that if Harry didn't get back into Hogwarts, I'd be able to train him here, be useful again. It doesn't help that Snape points out the fact that I'm completely useless every chance he gets."

"If it makes you feel any better, tall, dark and surly doesn't like me either," Buffy replied with a smile. "And you're not being useless, you're doing research. Research is important. Without Giles and his books and knowledge, I'd probably be dead."

"Funnily enough, it doesn't. Snape doesn't like many people," Sirius replied. "And researching is all well and good, but I'm more of an action guy."

"I can relate," Buffy replied. "Totally more Action Buffy. Research Buffy is just Action Buffy with an included Giles."

"You really are odd, aren't you?" Sirius asked with a chuckle.

"It's part of my charm," Buffy replied, taking a bite of her apple and grinning at him.

"So, about being the Slayer," Sirius said. "What's it like?"

"It's not really fair that you know what I used to do, but I have no idea what you used to do," Buffy said with a pout. "I mean, before you were in Azkaban."

"Dumbledore told you about that, huh?" Sirius asked.

"He told me a lot of things," Buffy replied.

"I used to be an Auror," Sirius replied.

"All right then," Buffy said. "How about we trade, war story for war story? You can catch me up a little bit on stuff I missed, like Voldemort's uprising and stuff. You were kind of in the thick of it after all."

"That sounds agreeable," Sirius said. "You can go first."

XOXOXO

"Oh, this is not good," Dawn whispered, her ear up against the kitchen door.

"What?" Harry whispered, curious. He'd been following Dawn, who had followed Buffy. "Your sister's going to kill you once she finds out you were eavesdropping."

"I'll just buy her something shiny. That usually works," Dawn replied. "She's in there with Sirius. They're talking."

"And that's such a bad thing why?" Harry asked. "I mean, Sirius is great and if he gets along with your sister, it'll go a long way in getting the rest of the Order to trust her."

"That's fine and dandy, but it sounds like they're flirting," Dawn replied with a gulp.

"What's so wrong about that?" Harry asked.

"I don't know about you, but I do not find the idea of kissing my nephew in any way, shape, or form attractive," Dawn said, wrinkling her nose. "And I'm sure that you don't want to be kissing your aunt."

"You definitely don't look like my Aunt Petunia. Or my Aunt Marge," Harry replied. "And how do you know they're flirting or whatever? Sirius was supposedly a bit of a playboy and your sister is friendly."

"I really hope, for your sake, that you're right," Dawn said. "I really, really hope you're right."

"And I really hope that your sister doesn't find out we've been eavesdropping," Harry retorted as he tugged on Dawn's hand, trying to lead her away from the kitchen door. "You might scare me, but she _terrifies_ me."

XOXOXO

"Good, I'm doing my job then," Buffy murmured to herself.

"Pardon?" Sirius asked. They'd been talking about various things that they had done in their fight against evil and Sirius had been filling her in as much as he could about Voldemort's uprising.

"Oh, Harry just said that I terrified him," Buffy replied happily, smiling to herself.

"You can hear him when he's that far away?" Sirius asked, impressed.

"Hardly," Buffy replied with a laugh. "He and Dawn are eavesdropping. They just left."

"You're not going to go after them?" Sirius asked. He'd heard about the verbal beating Harry had received from Dawn when she had caught Harry and the others eavesdropping on her and her sister, and wondered if Buffy was as militant about it.

"I might, you know, talk to Dawn a little bit about being a hypocrite, but it wasn't like we were discussing any deep, dark secrets or anything like that," Buffy replied. "Well, except the you and Harry thing, but I don't think they were around for that. But let's get back on topic, shall we? I want to hear more about Minerva as a teacher."

"If the thought wasn't so disturbing, I'd ask what she was like as a student," Sirius said with a chuckle as he began another story about the Marauders and Minerva's reaction to their pranks.

XOXOXO

"Holy crap, I'm bored."

Buffy looked up from her notes to her sister, who had just come into their room and flopped onto her bed. Dawn propped herself up on her elbows so that she could look at her sister as Buffy put her notes aside and marked her place in her book before turning her full attention to her sister.

"Seriously, you're bored?" Buffy asked. "I thought you would have loved living in an old, magical house with lots of history. You love that stuff."

"That would be awesome if I actually got to see any of it," Dawn replied. "I've been cleaning since I got here. When I'm not cleaning, I'm studying and believe me, some of those books read like stereo instructions. And, you know, the fact that us kids don't know anything that's going on in the meetings."

"I remember. And I wish I could tell you, I really do, but you're not old enough. Besides, it wouldn't be fair for you to know all of this stuff and the other kids didn't," Buffy replied. She picked up a book that had come in the owl post that day and tossed it over onto Dawn's bed. "Here, Dumbledore sent this over. Your Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook."

"So Bumblebee's just sending the books to me direct now?" Dawn asked.

"I guess," Buffy replied with a shrug. "He said the last of the books on the list had just been set and he thought it was easier if he just sent us the last one on the list. I mean, we could have asked Mrs. Weasley to grab it for you when she went to get everything else, but Dumbledore probably thought that we wouldn't be comfortable doing that so he sent it direct. Said the amount would be coming out of my first pay, but whatever."

"Are you going to ask Mrs. Weasley if she needs any help picking up everything?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah," Buffy replied. "I'll go and see right now. She's probably going to be on her way out right now."

Buffy got up and headed down the stairs, Dawn following close behind. They didn't have to get very far before they found Mrs. Weasley, standing in Harry and Ron's room with all of the kids except for Ginny. They arrived to hear Mrs. Weasley shriek in happiness.

"What's going on?" Dawn asked, entering the room, Buffy following closely behind.

"Ron and Hermione have just been made prefects!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

"Hey, having an in with a couple of prefects might make it easier for you guys to get away with stuff," Dawn said to the twins in a whisper, nudging them.

"Doubtful," one of them, dressed in a sweater with the letter F on it. "Our brother Percy was one and he never let us get away with anything."

"That's great!" Buffy said, grinning at the two new Gryffindor prefects. "You get to see lots of the castle that not a lot of people get to see."

"You were a prefect too, then?" Hermione asked.

"No," Buffy replied. "Wasn't at Hogwarts long enough. But my best friend was one and Minerva was Head Girl in her day. Sometimes they took me on patrol with them. Before curfew, of course."

"That's not allowed!" Hermione exclaimed. "They could have lost their badges for that!"

"And yet Dumbledore seemed all right with it," Buffy replied with a shrug. "I don't know. Besides, it doesn't really matter now. It was a long, _long _time ago."

Hermione just sniffed to herself, turning her attention away from Buffy and Dawn. _Figures,_ Buffy thought. _As soon as there's even a whiff of rule-breaking, I'm persona non grata_.

"What brings you in here, Buffy dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Well, I was wondering if you needed a hand getting all of the school stuff," Buffy replied. "Dumbledore already sent Dawn's copy of the book, but it looks like you might need a hand with this lot."

"Just make sure they don't burn down the house for me," Mrs. Weasley replied with a motherly smile.

"I'll do what I can, but with Dawn's history in the kitchen I can't make any promises," Buffy replied.

"Hey!" Dawn exclaimed, indignant.

"Hay is for horses," Buffy replied, causing Dawn to huff.

"Well, if you don't need me, I'm going to go back to my room and pack," Buffy said. She was waved off by everyone, leaving Dawn in the room with her fellow fifth years, the sounds of talk about brooms trailing out behind her.

XOXOXO

"Harry's an ass," Dawn grumbled a few hours later, stomping into the room and flopping onto the bed. Buffy's things were all packed away and ready to go, and Dawn's mess wasn't as scattered as it was a couple of days ago.

"Most guys are, at one point or another," Buffy replied. "But I'm guessing Harry did something specific and it's bugging you."

"Captain Obvious, thy alter-ego is Buffy," Dawn retorted with a roll of her eyes. "Something's bugging him, I know it, but he's not going to tell me. It's driving me nuts!"

"Well, he doesn't know you that well yet," Buffy replied. "Maybe he doesn't trust you enough to tell you all of his deep, dark secrets. Just because you went all share-time with him, it doesn't mean he's ready to do that kind of thing."

"I know," Dawn said with a sigh. "But it still sucks."

"I know it does," Buffy replied. She gestured to Dawn's things around the room. "Now, pack. I don't want you rushing around last minute tomorrow morning."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Dawn said with a mock salute, causing Buffy to throw a pillow at her. Grumbling slightly, Dawn began collecting her things from around the room, and probably the rest of the house, as Buffy went back to her book.

XOXOXO

**Chapter 9 done. I was doing a little reading on the HP Lexicon and I realized too late that Umbridge hadn't been appointed as the DADA teacher until after Harry's hearing, which was why the book lists were so late in Order of the Phoenix. So, um, can we just ignore that and say it's a little AU in that respect?**

**Next chapter we will finally get on to the Hogwarts Express and the Welcoming Feast. Don't expect a chapter to be posted very quickly, though.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The next morning was complete and total chaos. While Buffy and Dawn had had the vast majority of their things packed away and ready to go, the same could not be said for the other occupants of the house. As they were checking their room for stray items, they heard two voices competing for dominance floating up from the front hallway.

"-COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS -"

"-FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS-"

"Sounds like the twins woke up Mrs. Black," Dawn said, looking up. "Probably doing something stupid."

"Probably," Buffy agreed. "Come on, let's grab our stuff and get downstairs."

"YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Mrs. Weasley's voice came up from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, before Mrs. Weasley pops a vein or something," Dawn remarked, grabbing her trunk and her school bag, stocked with books for the trip.

Buffy and Dawn ran into Hermione, Ron and Harry on their way to the stairwell, and the five of them manoeuvred themselves, their trunks and their carrying cages with almost no incidents. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, they were greeted by more screaming from the portrait as everyone who was leaving for Hogwarts congregated in the front hall, including a rather large, bear-like dog that Buffy hadn't seen before now.

"That's Sirius," Dawn said to Buffy in a low voice, which caused her to look at her sister in surprise.

"And you know this how?" Buffy asked, wondering how many others knew that Sirius was an animagus. Probably everyone but her, judging by the way everyone wasn't surprised by his appearance, although Mrs. Weasley looked more than annoyed.

"Harry told me," Dawn replied with a shrug. "The whole Order knows, really."

"I didn't know," Buffy said with a huff.

"Well, now you do," Dawn said.

They watched as Mrs. Weasley, Harry and the Sirius-dog left the house, probably to meet up with some of the other members of the Order to take him to the train station. Buffy was left with the rest of the kids and Mad-Eye Moody, whom she hadn't really spoken to since that first night she had arrived.

"'C'mon Summers, help me shrink these trunks, will ya?" he asked, more growled, really, gesturing to the mass of trunks littering the front hallway.

"Let's just hope I remember the spell and, you know, don't set the stuff on fire," Buffy replied with an awkward laugh.

While she had settled into some kind of rhythm with her female friends, things with Quentin-Alastor were a little bit awkward. Strange, even. It was almost as if they were strangers meeting for the first time, and if Buffy were to admit it to herself, they kind of were. Minerva, Augusta and even Poppy had kept their identities, their personalities, and when presented to her Buffy could tell that they were the same people. With Quentin, not so much. She couldn't see much of the sweet boy she'd been friends with, and it saddened her to realize this and made her curious as to why it had happened.

Right now wasn't the time to think about it, however. Alastor was looking at her oddly, maybe a little warily.

"Are you saying you haven't used your wand since you left?" he asked, his normal eye widening in shock.

"Um, no?" Buffy replied, a little uncertainly. "I mean, I put my wand away in the back of a drawer when I got back to Sunnydale and didn't really take it out until the last battle with the First. I had it slipped in my boot because I was pretty sure we wouldn't be going back to the house after that. Turns out I was right. We ended up turning Sunnydale the town to Sunnydale the sinkhole."

"Sunnydale, eh?" Alastor said, stroking his chin. "So, that was you?"

"Well, not just me," Buffy replied. "I mean, closing that Hellmouth for good was definitely a concentrated team effort."

"I'll have to ask you about it sometime," Alastor said.

"Kind of expected you to," Buffy replied. "Could you, maybe, teach me the shrinking spell again?"

Alastor rolled his one good eye and sighed in exasperation, reminding Buffy so much of the boy Alastor had been, before going through the wand motions and incantation with her. All the while, Buffy could feel several sets of eyes on her and Alastor, and it was all Buffy could do not to giggle like crazy when she heard what was being whispered. The kids either didn't know or had forgotten that Buffy had exceptionally good hearing.

"I have a feeling I know what the topic of conversation on the train is going to be," Buffy murmured with a snicker, glancing over at the remaining kids.

"You'll have to ask your sister about it, because you're not going to be on the train," Alastor murmured back.

"Wait, what?" Buffy asked, pouting a little. "Why am I not going to be on the train? I never got to go on the train."

"Dumbledore wants you at the castle as soon as you can make it," Alastor replied. "Something about a meet and greet with everyone before the feast. And, I think, he wanted to run something by you before term started."

"Fine," Buffy replied with a sigh. She'd been looking forward to going to Hogwarts on the train, getting the full experience she should have had when she was a student. However, she also knew that when Dumbledore summoned you, you came, even if it meant missing out on something you'd been looking forward to.

"I'll Apparate you to the grounds after we see this lot off," Alastor said, jerking his thumb at the kids, who were still staring at them. It was a little disconcerting, the amount of attention they were getting from the kids, as if they hadn't seen two people having a semi-pleasant conversation. Then again, they probably weren't used to seeing "Mad-Eye" Moody being halfway pleasant to anyone.

"Sounds like a plan," Buffy replied. "So, are we waiting for anyone else?"

"Sturgis was supposed to be here, but he's late," Alastor grumbled, obviously annoyed. "We're going to have to leave without him. You're still decent with a wand, aren't you?"

"If I get close enough, I'm not going to need a wand," Buffy replied. She knew, from the meetings, that Harry was in constant danger of being attacked and needed to be accompanied by a guard of some kind everywhere he went. Since it was unlikely that the Death Eaters would attack in broad daylight, a couple of Aurors and two other Order members – three if you counted Sirius – Harry was pretty safe.

"Let's move out!" Alastor said to the group in general, snapping the teenagers out of their shock and bringing them back to reality. It wasn't long before they left the house, shutting and locking the door behind them before heading out to King's Cross Station. They'd gone over the plan the night before; it was a short, twenty-minute walk from headquarters to the train station. Buffy checked her watch; they had forty minutes to get there. Good.

The walk was silent for the most part, the kids murmuring amongst themselves. Buffy watched them closely – Dawn seemed to be a little distanced from them, if not physically than emotionally and conversationally. Hermione seemed to try to engage Dawn in whatever she and Ginny were talking about, but it was slow going. Making a mental note to talk to Dawn about it later, Buffy turned to Alastor, who was wearing a rather ridiculous hat pulled over his magical eye.

"You know we're going to have to talk sometime, right?" Buffy asked, glancing at him.

"About what?" Alastor asked as he looked around shiftily. Buffy was pretty sure that he was just practising constant vigilance, but a small part of her was sure that he was just avoiding her gaze.

"About everything," Buffy replied. "What you've been doing since I left, what I've been doing since I left, why you decided to change yourself. All of it. I want to know. You're the only one out of our group who's still alive that I haven't talked to."

"Except that rat bastard," Alastor growled lowly.

"Not so loud," Buffy hissed, shushing him. If he'd been anyone else, she probably would have clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Finally ashamed of him, once you figured out what he was, eh?" Alastor asked with a sneer.

"Not ashamed, just not wanting the kids to know," Buffy replied. "'Cause, you know, Tom's the guy they're supposed to hate, and if they found out their new member dated the guy they're supposed to hate and believe is evil, it'll make them think I'm evil too. And I'm not. I'm the thing evil is afraid of."

"That you are," Alastor said with a chuckle as the group reached the train station. He turned his attention to the kids. "You lot, start going through the barrier. Don't let the Muggles see you go in."

"So, what do we get to do?" Buffy asked.

"Go into one of those storage rooms, bring the luggage back to its normal size and find a trolley," Alastor replied before heading to one of the aforementioned storage rooms. When they got there, they made sure that no one was around and that no one could see them before they pulled out their wands and spelled the luggage back to its normal size. "You stay here, I'll go find us a trolley."

"Sir, yes sir," Buffy grumbled. She didn't remember Quentin being this demanding, but then again, Quentin was now Alastor and Alastor was a much different man than the boy she had known. She would just have to get used to it, she supposed, no matter how much she didn't like it.

The bags were brought back to their original size and loaded on to a trolley before Buffy and Alastor made their way to the barrier. He just walked, relatively casually, towards the barrier and slipped through it without much attention from anyone around. Although, if the people here were anything like the people in Sunnydale, they probably ignored anything out of the ordinary that happened.

Shrugging, Buffy followed Alastor through the barrier and was met by Dawn, bouncing over like a small child who had consumed far too much sugar, almost vibrating with excitement.

"This is so _cool_," she said, stopping in front of Buffy, a wide grin on her face. "Magic platform leads to magic train that's gonna take me to a magic school!"

"You're going to have to tell me about it when you get to the school," Buffy replied.

"You're not going to be on the train?" Dawn asked. "Why?"

"Alastor just told me Dumbledore wants me at the school as soon as possible," Buffy replied. "Something about a meet-and-greet. And he wanted to run something by me before the feast."

"I hope it's not anything bad," Dawn said, chewing her lip.

"I hope it isn't, either," Buffy agreed, wondering what was so important that Dumbledore couldn't put it in the letter. She shook her head, clearing it, before she turned her attention back to Dawn. "So, got enough money for the snack lady on the train?"

"Yep," Dawn replied, shaking her book bag. Buffy could hear the unmistakable sound of books rattling around in there, but underneath the sound of books banging into each other there was also the jangle of a baggie full of coins. "I'm going to have to get a prettier coin sack, though. A little brown cloth bag tied to my belt just doesn't do it."

"Yeah," Buffy agreed. She wrapped her sister in a hug. "Be good."

"I'll try," Dawn replied. "But if I run into that Malfoy snot, I'm not making any promises."

"Why do I even bother?" Buffy asked, ruffling her sister's hair. Dawn shrieked and ducked out of her sister's grasp before she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Buffy.

"You'll be there when I get there?" Dawn asked.

"Unless I get kidnapped by Death Eaters on the way," Buffy replied.

"Come on, Dawn, you're going to miss the train!" Harry exclaimed from the door of the train.

"No joking about that crap," Dawn said as she hugged Buffy again before turning and heading to the train, where Harry was hanging out of the train. She passed Alastor and a woman Buffy assumed as Tonks in disguise as she made her way on to the train. Buffy watched as Alastor made his way over to her so that he could stand next to her.

"Ready to go?" he asked, his voice gruff.

"I just want to see the train leave, and then we can go," Buffy replied, watching as the train began to pull out from the station. As it was beginning to gather speed, Buffy couldn't help but laugh when she saw her sister pop out of one of the windows, half hanging out as she waved. She giggled even harder when a hand, probably Harry's gripped her shoulder and yanked her back into the train. It wasn't until the train was well and truly on its way that Buffy turned her attention back to Alastor. "Okay, now I'm ready."

"You've done side-along Apparition before, have you?" he asked.

"Once, with Dumbledore," Buffy replied. "Over the summer. He wanted me and Dawn to come around and see the old place."

"Well, you know the drill then," Alastor replied. Buffy nodded and grabbed on to Alastor's arm before she closed her eyes. After a few moments of feeling like she was being sucked through a straw, Buffy and Alastor landed in almost the exact same place Dumbledore had landed with Buffy and Dawn earlier that summer.

"I can't wait until I learn how to Apparate on my own," Buffy said, shaking herself after she had regained her footing.

"You've really missed a lot, haven't you?" Alastor asked, regarding Buffy with another curious look.

"Yeah," Buffy replied. "Which is why you and me need to sit down and _talk_. Lunch, next Hogsmeade weekend, you and me. I'll owl you."

"Looking forward to it," Alastor said, although, to Buffy, he sounded like he wasn't looking forward to it at all. "Do you need me to walk you up to the castle?"

"I think I can manage it," Buffy replied. "Here goes nothing."

"You're tough," Alastor said. "If anyone can survive the gauntlet, it's you."

"Thanks," Buffy replied, offering him a slight smile. "Now go. Do whatever it is that you Aurors do. Catch them dark wizards."

"I'll do that," Alastor said, a ghost of a smile on his face. With a small 'pop', he Disapparated, leaving Buffy alone in front of the Hogwarts gates. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she began walking up the path that led to the school. A sad smile crossed her face when she passed Hagrid's hut, largely unchanged except for the fact that the windows were now cold and dark, instead of warm and bright like she had remembered.

The rest of the walk up to the school was rather uneventful, and before long Buffy was standing in front of the castle doors, wondering what she should do next. Deciding that knocking would be a good idea, Buffy raised her fist and knocked on the door as loudly as she dared, wondering what was going to happen.

Almost immediately, the door swung open, revealing a smiling and twinkling Albus Dumbledore, dressed in purple, silver-trimmed robes.

"Ah, Miss Summers, so nice of you to join us," he said, waving her into the castle. "Or Professor Summers, I suppose it is now."

"Hardly a professor," Buffy replied. "I'm just running an officially-sponsored Defense Against the Dark Arts club to help the kiddies learn a little bit more."

"I would like to speak to you about that," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps a little bit more responsibility on shaping the young minds we are entrusted with."

"What kind of responsibility are you talking about, Professor?" Buffy asked, curious.

"It has come to my attention, rather belatedly, that you acted as a guidance counsellor in Sunnydale before its collapse," Dumbledore replied. "How did you enjoy that work?"

"It was all right," Buffy replied. "I mean, Robin mostly hired me because I was the Slayer and he wanted me to keep an eye on the Hellmouth, which was what the school was built on, but I'd like to think I changed a couple of lives and helped a few kids."

"Is it something you would consider taking up again?" Dumbledore asked.

"Is this your roundabout way of asking if I want to be the Hogwarts guidance counsellor?" Buffy asked, quirking an eye at the old man.

"I am nothing, if not direct," Dumbledore said. "Would you consider being the Hogwarts guidance counsellor?"

"I don't know how much help I can be. I mean, some students probably won't come to me with their issues because of, you know, prejudices and stuff," Buffy replied.

"Are you saying you won't do it?" Dumbledore asked.

"Not saying that at all," Buffy replied. "I just think that my work will be cut out for me."

"That it will," Dumbledore said with a sage nod. "But if you take this position, I'm sure you will be taking a load off of the Heads of House. I'm sure that most of them would rather someone younger handle some of the students' problems."

"Yeah," Buffy replied, snorting a little at the thought of Minerva or Snape talking to their students about sex and contraceptives.

"We'll meet later and work out the details. Perhaps after the feast?" Dumbledore suggested, and Buffy nodded. "But first, let's go meet the rest of the teachers. Shall we?"

"We shall," Buffy replied as she allowed Dumbledore to lead her through the corridors she had known quite well.

"I don't think you know very many of the current professors, besides McGonagall, Flitwick and Madams Pince and Pomfrey," Dumbledore replied. "Professor Sprout may have been a student a few years below yourself and your friends, and she was a Hufflepuff besides, but other than that I can't think of anyone you'd know."

"As long as none of those skeevy Slytherins are around I don't care," Buffy replied.

"Skeevy Slytherins. That's a new one," Dumbledore remarked as he stopped in front of a particular door in the middle of an out of the way corridor. He rapped on it in a certain sequence before it swung open. "I'll have to teach you how to do the secret knock. Much more interesting than a password, wouldn't you agree?"

"Sure," Buffy replied. If she hadn't already known Dumbledore was a little on the odd side, she would have made something more of it.

"And here is the teacher's lounge, a refuge for all faculty here at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, waving her in. It looked like the rest of the faculty was already there, and they were all looking at Buffy curiously.

"Hello," Buffy greeted, smiling nervously and waving weakly, wondering how long it would be before the novelty of a new teacher wore off. She caught the eye of Minerva and Poppy, who both smiled encouragingly at her. Snape was scowling at her, which was something she wasn't entirely surprised about. Flitwick was looking at her curiously, as if he had seen her somewhere but couldn't quite place where. There was one person whose gaze tried to pierce Buffy, though, and it wasn't difficult to figure out who it was.

Delores Umbridge, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"Everyone, I would like you to meet the newest addition to our faculty," Dumbledore said, pushing Buffy forward a little bit. "Miss Summers comes to us from the United States and has extensive experience working with young people. She will be taking on the post of guidance counsellor at the school here. I hope you all make an effort to make her feel welcome. Now, to address the the start of year - "

"_Hem, hem_."

Everyone in the room slowly turned their attention to the short, pink clad woman, who was looking around at the people in the room with a pleasant smile on her face.

"Yes, Delores?" Dumbledore asked, his voice patient. It sounded to Buffy that he was nearly at the end of his rope.

"What kind of qualifications does she have to be in this position?" Umbridge asked sweetly. "Is she a qualified mind healer?"

"The position is not for a mind healer, Delores," Dumbledore replied. "Miss Summers, Buffy, is here so that the students have an alternate person to listen to their problems and give them advice, rather than their Head of House or another professor, or myself."

"So, you are lessening the workload and burden on the other professors?" Umbridge asked. "Do you feel that the professors here are incapable of handling their own students' problems?"

"Not at all," Dumbledore replied. "I have every confidence that our professors can and will be able to deal with the students' personal problems if and when the need arises, but I felt that the students needed an alternate person to come to who would be more in tune with their issues and problems because she is closer to their age. The students are more than welcome to go to their Head of House if they feel uncomfortable speaking to a relative stranger. Now, may I get on with the meeting so that we can all get settled in before the children arrive?"

Umbridge regarded Buffy for a moment before nodding and waving at Dumbledore to continue with the meeting.

Buffy had a feeling that this was going to be an interesting year.

XOXOXO

"Come on Dawn, you're going to miss the train!" Harry exclaimed from the train doors. After telling her sister not to joke about being kidnapped by Death Eaters, Dawn turned and rushed to the train, joining the stragglers who were boarding along with her. She was able to smile at Tonks, briefly, before being yanked onto the train by Harry.

"Thought you'd have to fly to the school or something," he said with a smile as he pulled her off to the side, away from the crush of students making their way to the various compartments on the train.

"Nah, I would have gotten a ride with Buffy," Dawn replied.

"Why would Buffy be going to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, um, I guess no one told you guys," Dawn said. "Dumbledore asked Buffy to do a kind of Defence Against the Dark Arts club-type thing."

"But we already have a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," Hermione said with a frown. "Why would we need two?"

"Think," Dawn said. "How good were your Defence Against the Dark Arts classes?"

"Not good," Hermione replied.

"I'm guessing mostly lessons and spells and dark creatures?" Dawn asked. "No demons?"

"Well, yes," Hermione replied. "But demons are so unheard of in the wizarding world that it's probably something the professors and governors of the school decided that it wasn't worth it to be a part of the curriculum."

"And it still isn't," Dawn replied. "Dumbledore wanted a sort of Demonology 101 club at the school, to, you know, supplement what you learn in class. Dumbledore's probably going to make the announcement at dinner tonight."

"Shall we go find a compartment, then?" Harry asked. "Before all of the good ones are taken."

Ron and Hermione exchanged a look.

"We're – well – Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said awkwardly.

Ron wasn't looking at Harry, looking at his fingernails. Sensing that Harry could potentially blow up soon, she rested a hand on his arm in an attempt to bring him back down to earth.

"Come on, we'll find our own compartment, me, you and Ginny. I'm sure Ron and Hermione can come find us later," Dawn said, offering Harry a warm smile.

"I don't think we have to stay there the whole time," Hermione said quickly, also recognizing Harry's darkening mood.

"And, y'know, we'd rather be with you guys," Ron said, equally quickly. "But, y'know, we have to."

"It's fine," Harry said. "See you guys later."

"Come on," Dawn said, tugging on Harry's arm.

"If we get a move on, we can save them places," Ginny agreed.

"Right,' Harry said, allowing himself to be led away by the two girls.

As they walked down the train, trying to find a compartment, Dawn couldn't help but notice that they were being watched, the people in the compartments nudging and whispering to each other as they passed. All of the compartments seemed to be full, as well, and it wasn't until they reached the last compartment, and Neville Longbottom standing outside of it, that they finally found a place to sit.

"Hi Neville!" Dawn greeted with a grin.

"Hi Harry... Ginny... Dawn," he puffed, pulling his trunk in one hand and keeping a grip on Trevor the toad in the other. "Everywhere else is full... I can't find a seat."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked, squeezing by everyone to peek into the nearest compartment. "There's room in this one, there's only Loony Lovegood in here..."

Dawn glanced at Harry and mouthed 'Loony Lovegood' at him. Harry, in turn, just shrugged before following Ginny into the compartment.

"Hi Luna," Ginny greeted. "Is it okay of we take these seats?"

As Dawn entered the compartment after Luna had nodded her permission, she was able to get her first good, long look at the girl seated inside it. She had long, dirty-blonde hair, reaching a length that had Dawn envious. Her eyes were large, grey and wide, making her look like she was permanently surprised. She was dressed in the usual Hogwarts uniform, but her accessories made it easy for Dawn to understand why Ginny had referred to her as Loony.

Grinning, Dawn crossed the compartment and slid the window open before leaning out, grinning and waving as she half hung out the window. Harry moved quickly, grabbing on to Dawn's shoulder and yanking her back into the compartment, causing them to fall on each other in a heap. Laughing, Dawn got to her feet and helped Harry up before they settled in their seats, causing Ginny, Neville and especially Luna, to stare at them.

Luna surveyed the newcomers, her gaze landing on Dawn, finally. She stared at Dawn for a few moments, causing Dawn to shift her weight uncomfortably, unused to being the center of attention, before she spoke.

"I've never seen you before," she said, looking at Dawn curiously. "Did you know that you glow green?"

"Er," Dawn began, wondering how she could explain this remark without sounding like a complete nutbag or revealing her secret. However, she needn't have bothered, because at that moment Luna turned her attention to Harry as Ginny asked her a question.

"Had a good summer, Luna?" she asked as she sat down. Dawn, Harry and Neville followed suit and sat down, the two boys seemingly a little anxious. No one seemed to notice Luna's remark about Dawn glowing green – maybe she said things like that all of the time and no one really noticed it anymore?

"Oh yes," Luna replied dreamily, her eyes never leaving Harry. "Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know. _You're _Harry Potter."

"I know I am," Harry replied, causing Dawn to snort in laughter and Neville to chuckle.

"And I don't know who you are," Luna said, her gaze falling on Neville.

"I'm nobody," said Neville hurriedly.

"If I hear you say that about yourself again, Neville, I'm gonna slap you," Dawn said. "I'm not friends with nobodies."

"Yes, er, right then," Ginny said. "Luna, these are Neville Longbottom and Dawn Summers. Luna's in my year, but in Ravenclaw."

"_Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure_," Luna said in a sing-song voice before she hid behind her magazine, which Dawn noticed, now, that she was reading the magazine upside down. Dawn just looked at the two boys she sat between with her eyebrows raised, and the boys mirrored her expression. Ginny just suppressed a giggle.

The train continued to trundle through the countryside, the clouds darkening as they pulled away from the large towns and got closer to the farmland and small villages. Dawn pulled out a book and began to read as Harry and Neville chatted over her head.

"Guess what I got for my birthday?" said Neville.

"Another Rememberall?" Harry asked. Dawn kept half an ear on the conversation and wondered what the hell a Rememberall was.

"No," said Neville. "I could do with one, through. I lost the old one ages ago... no, look at this..."

He dug around in his bag with one hand and kept a firm grip on his toad with the other. Dawn had abandoned her book, wondering what Neville had gotten for his birthday. Neville pulled out what appeared to be a small grey cactus in a pot, except that it was covered with what looked like boils rather than spines.

"_Mimbulus mimbletonia,_" he said proudly.

Dawn stared at the plant. It was throbbing and it looked kind of ugly. She wondered, if what, it did. She knew that lots of plants in both the wizarding world and the Muggle world did things, but since she'd never heard of it, she had no idea what it did.

"It's really, really rare," Neville continued, beaming. "I don't know if there's in one the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My Great Uncle Algie got it for me from Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."

"You really like Herbology, don't you?" Dawn asked.

"It's what I'm best at," Neville replied.

"Note to self – get Neville funky plants for presents," Dawn said, causing Neville to smile and blush a little.

"Does it – er – do anything?" Harry asked, ignoring the reaction Neville had to Dawn.

"Loads of stuff!" said Neville proudly. "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism. Here, hold Trevor for me..."

He dumped the toad into Dawn's lap and she tried really hard not to throw the thing across the room. She didn't have a frog or toad phobia like Willow did, but it didn't mean she liked the slimy buggers. She caught Luna peeking out over the top of her magazine to watch what Neville was doing. He held the plant at eye level in one hand and a quill in the other hand.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Dawn asked as Neville poked the plant with the quill. Foul-smelling liquid goop squirted _everywhere_ – it hit the ceiling, the windows, spattered on Luna's magazine. Dawn had to keep from shrieking as her hair and face, because of where she was sitting and because she had to keep a hold on the toad, got drenched in the stuff.

"Neville?" Dawn asked, trying to keep her voice calm as she spat the goo from her mouth.

"Yeah, Dawn?" Neville replied, looking more than a little afraid. Ginny, Luna and Harry watched, transfixed, as if they couldn't look away.

"You are _so _dead."

**XOXOXO**

**In case you hadn't noticed, I borrowed heavily from the chapter _Luna Lovegood _in _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ in this chapter. I wanted to do the entire chapter, but it was getting a little long and thought that this point would be a good point to stop. That, and I didn't want to keep you guys and gals waiting for very much longer.**

**As always, feedback is awesome. Hope you enjoyed it.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"This is _so _gross," Dawn commented, trying to wipe the goo off of her face with one hand while still holding on to Trevor the toad in the other.

"S-sorry," Neville apologized. Dawn was pleased to notice, at least, that he was just as covered as she was, if not worse. "I haven't tried that before. Didn't realize it would be so... don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous."

"Neither is vampire dust or most demon blood, but I don't like being covered in that, either," Dawn muttered. "Buffy's going to laugh her ass off when she hears about this."

At that precise moment the door slid open and Dawn prayed that it wasn't Malfoy. The last thing she needed after getting a face full of plant barf was to get all violent. Although, now that she thought of it, messing Malfoy up would be a lot of fun and would probably do wonders for her mood. However, the person who opened the door was not the blond haired Slytherin with a bug up his bum, but rather a very pretty Asian girl.

"Oh... hello, Harry," she said nervously. "Um... bad time?"

"Oh... hi," said Harry blankly as he tried to wipe some of the Stinksap off of his face.

"Um..." the girl said. "Well... just thought I'd say hello... bye then."

She closed the door quickly and left, and Harry slumped down in his seat in defeat. Dawn narrowed her eyes ever so slightly – while there hadn't been any proclamations of love or asking out or even any smoochies, she thought she and Harry were on the brink of something special. However, seeing how he reacted to this girl, Dawn wondered if she had been something for Harry to amuse himself with until he got back to school and got to see the girl he was really interested in.

"Never mind," said Ginny bracingly. "Look, we can easily get rid of all this." She pulled out her wand. "_Scorigify!_"

The Stinksap vanished.

"Sorry," said Neville again, in a small voice.

"If this sweater was ruined, you would be," Dawn said. It was Buffy's sweater, and although Dawn had wondered, idly, at why her sister hadn't called her out on stealing her clothes, Dawn wasn't going to dwell on it. Much. Instead, she picked up the book she had been previously reading – Hermione's copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ – and blocked out everything else that was happening in the compartment, only stirring when the food cart came.

An assortment of pastries and sweets were purchased and split and traded between the occupants of the compartment. Dawn and picked up and was examining a container of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

"When they say every flavour, they _mean _every flavour," Harry said, echoing Ron's words when they had been first years on the train.

"How bad could it be?" Dawn asked, picking up a white one and popping it into her mouth. She chewed on it thoughtfully for a few moments before swallowing. "Huh, not bad."

"What flavour was it?" Ginny asked. "Coconut?"

"Horseradish," Dawn replied, garnering strange looks from everyone in the compartment, save for Luna, who just looked at Dawn with a curious expression on her face. "What? I like weird things. If you're going to be friends with me, you're going to have to get used to me putting stuff like ketchup on my ice cream."

"You're one strange bird, aren't you?" Harry asked.

"Yep," Dawn replied with an affirmative nod. "And don't you forget it, buster."

Ron and Hermione took that moment to enter the compartment, bringing their pets with them. Dawn had seen both of them over the holidays, and secretly thought Crookshanks looked like he got hit in the face with a frying pan and Pigwidgeon was high on crack or something. Both looked a little stressed and disgruntled as they sat down, Hermione between Ginny and Luna and Ron wedging himself between Harry and Dawn. He had the audacity to swipe one of the chocolate frogs in her lap, but after getting a closer look at his face, she decided not to say anything.

"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each house," said Hermione. "Boy and girl from each."

"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" said Ron, his eyes closed.

"Slytherin's the house for evil people, right?" Dawn asked. There were murmurs and nods of assent. "Okay, even I could guess that one, and I only met him once. That Malfoy kid, right?"

"Course," Ron said before he stuffed the last of the stolen frog in his mouth before reaching to snatch one of Harry's.

"And that complete _cow _Pansy Parkinson," said Hermione viciously. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll..."

"Well, it looks like the teachers didn't have a choice," Dawn said. "I mean, with all the inbreeding and stuff, even the smartest of that bunch are probably pretty dumb."

"How do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Well, Buffy told me about this. All of the really old, really bigoted families only want to marry and have children with other really old, really bigoted families, right?" Dawn said. The people in the compartment nodded, although both Ron and Neville looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, after a while, those kinds of families kind of die out as people come to their senses, and soon there's only a really small pool of people to choose from. People in that group have to be related somehow, and when you get people who are too closely related, defects caused by inbreeding happen."

"I suppose, when you look at it that way, it holds some truth," Hermione said with a sniff.

"Let's just hope this pureblood craze doesn't end up like the Egyptian pharaohs and stuff," Dawn said with a shiver.

"So, who are the Hufflepuffs?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott," said Ron through one of his chocolate frogs. "And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw."

"You took Padma to the Yule Ball last year," said Luna vaguely from her corner. Everyone in the compartment turned their attention to Luna, who had, in turn, turned her attention to Ron, staring at him from over top of her magazine.

"Yeah, I know I did," Ron said after swallowing his bit of frog, slightly surprised. Dawn suppressed a giggle; she was beginning to like Luna, for all her oddness.

"She didn't enjoy it very much," Luna informed him. "She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded. I don't like dancing very much."

"Well, I'm sure he's learned his lesson," Dawn said with a snort, before she lowered her voice. "For Hermione's sake."

"What was that?" Ron asked, turning his attention to Dawn as Luna went back to hiding behind _The Quibbler_.

"Nothing," Dawn said quickly. "Nothing at all."

Ron sat there, his mouth hanging open for a few seconds, before he turned his attention to Ginny. Ginny, in turn, had stuffed knuckles in her mouth to stop from giggling. Ron sighed and shook his head, as if he would never fully understand girls, before he checked his watch.

"We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often," he told Harry and Neville, "and we cam give out punishments if people are misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something..."

"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron!" said Hermione sharply.

"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all," said Ron sarcastically.

"Anyone can abuse the power if they have it," Dawn said quietly. "When someone, anyone, is given some kind of power over someone else, the pull to abuse it is great. The trick is resisting the pull and using that power for good, rather than the not-so-good."

"Know much about power, then?" Ron asked, his voice a little sharp. Hermione glared at him, but Dawn made no indication that she was affected by it.

"Remind me to tell you about Willow," Dawn replied with a small, wistful smile.

"I wouldn't do anything drastic," Ron said, his voice a little petulant. "Just make him write lines, he'd hate that." He mimed writing in mid-air. "_I... must... not... look... like... a... baboon's... backside_."

Everyone in the compartment, even Dawn, laughed. Luna laughed the hardest, squealing and gasping with her peals of laughter, tears welling up in her eyes she was laughing so hard. Dawn snagged a look at Ron and snorted at his expression. He looked surprised and unsure of how to react to the situation, and Dawn couldn't really blame him.

"Are you taking the mickey?" said Ron.

"I don't think so," Dawn said as Luna repeated the phrase "baboon's backside" as she choked a little on her laughter.

"How do you know about taking the mickey?" Ron asked. "You're a Yank!"

"My favourite babysitter growing up was a British vampire. So was my father figure after my dad left. British, not a vampire. They taught me a few things," Dawn replied with a shrug. All of the occupants of the compartment stared at her. "What?"

"You were babysat by a vampire?" Ginny asked warily. "Isn't that, you know, _dangerous?"_

"I had a really weird childhood," Dawn replied, kicking herself for saying anything. The Hogwarts kids continued staring at her, even Luna. Dawn shrunk down in her seat a little more. "What? He was neutered! Couldn't hurt anyone human with that chip in his head."

The people in the compartment continued to stare at her until something caught Harry's eye. Luna was still behind her magazine, looking at Dawn over the top of it, and the cartoon on the front catching his attention, and then the other headlines on the cover kept his interest.

"Can I have a look at this?" Harry asked, gesturing at the magazine. She nodded, handing over the magazine as she kept her gaze on Dawn. Harry eagerly snapped it up and scanned the index. Wanting to distract herself from the gazes still being focused on her, Dawn turned her attention to the magazine as well, hoping that with no more continuation in the previous line of conversation would prompt the rest of the people in the compartment to stop staring at her.

"What did you see?" Dawn asked quietly, looking over Harry's shoulder so that she could see what article he was looking at.

"This one," Harry replied, flipping to the article entitled _Sirius Black: Villain or Victim?_ Dawn read the first few lines and snorted, trying to stifle her laughter. The magazine looked like the wizarding version of The National Enquirer, printing stories about everyone and everything, not caring if the information was verified or not.

"Oh, this totally reminds me of the celebrity magazines we have back home," Dawn said with a soft giggle.

"Anything good in there?" Ron asked as Harry closed the magazine while Dawn continued to snicker.

"Of course not," Hermione cut in scathingly. "_The Quibbler_'s rubbish, everyone knows that."

"Excuse me," said Luna, her voice far less dreamy than it had been earlier. "My father's the editor."

"And I'm sure he writes and publishes very interesting stories meant to entertain and inform the masses," Dawn said quickly, saving Hermione from having to backtrack over her insult. Luna smiled slightly at Dawn before she turned her attention back to Harry.

"I'll have it back, thank you," Luna said, her voice cool as she reached over and snatched the magazine out of Harry's hands. She opened the magazine, turned it upside down and disappeared behind it just as the compartment door slid open yet again.

Draco Malfoy was standing in the doorway, in between two boys who were so large they might as well have been boulders. Dawn's lip curled; while she knew that he was a Hogwarts student and there would be a rather high likelihood of running into him, she didn't want it to happen this soon. Judging by the reactions of the other people in the compartment, he was far from welcome.

"What?" Harry asked aggressively before anything could be said. Dawn was sure that this was going to get ugly.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," Malfoy drawled. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Well, if you're going to give one of us detention, we might as well do something to make it worthwhile," Dawn piped up from next to Harry. She had her hand in her pocket, ready to draw out her wand at a moment's notice. She might not know many spells, but she could think of a few rather interesting places where she could shove it. "Because I, unlike you, am not afraid of getting into fights with people bigger and stronger than I am and I, unlike you, am more likely to win a fistfight against you. So bring it, blondie."

"Oh, it's you," Malfoy said, turning his nose up at Dawn. "Summers, right? Not surprised you're hanging around this kind of trash, Potter. You always did like wrestling in the muck."

"All right, that's it," Dawn snarled, getting up from her seat and getting ready to claw his eyes out, wands be damned. Harry, however, had beaten her to it and was on his feet lightning fast, his wand pointed under Malfoy's chin. Crabbe and Goyle fumbled slightly before their wands were out and pointed at Harry. Malfoy glared at Harry, nothing but contempt in his eyes. Dawn had her wand out now, too, but if anything went down she'd drop it in a second and go straight for the eyes.

"I think it's best that you leave, Malfoy," said Hermione, putting a hand on Harry's arm as Neville did the same to Dawn. "Now."

"This isn't over," Malfoy snarled before he batted Harry's hand away, a rather evil smirk spreading across his features. "You'd best watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be _dogging _your footsteps in case you get out of line."

Malfoy stalked off, his two shadows lumbering behind him. Harry slammed the door behind them before slumping back down in his seat. Dawn followed suit, as did Hermione.

"He was right," Hermione said after the tension began to die down a little. "He could have easily given you detention for that. So could I. So could Ron."

"But you're not going to, right?" Harry asked. "I mean, you heard what he said about Dawn. You're okay, right Dawn?"

"Please, he doesn't even rate on the scary scale," Dawn replied with a snort, but quieted down quickly. She saw the look that passed between Harry and Hermione, and took that to mean that they had caught the not-so-subtle dig about Sirius as well.

"Chuck us another Frog," said Ron. Obviously, he hadn't noticed anything, and it wasn't like they could speak freely with Neville and Luna in the compartment. It would just have to wait until later, although how they were going to talk about it when they got to the school, Dawn didn't know. She'd only seen a little bit of the school, but from what she had seen, people couldn't sneak off to some corner of the school or unused classroom for a private conversation without looking suspicious.

The sky continued to darken and rain began to fall as the students in the compartment went about their business – Luna read her magazine, Harry and Ron talked about Quidditch, Hermione and Ginny spoke quietly about something that Dawn couldn't hear, and Neville was trying to engage Dawn in conversation, asking stories about her sister and what she had done when she had been in school. When the sky had fully darkened and the lamps had flared to life, Luna had put her magazine away and took to staring at everyone in the compartment. Dawn wondered what the strange girl was thinking, but since she couldn't read minds, the only way to know was to ask her. She shifted her attention to Harry, sitting on the other side of Ron with his forehead leaning against the window. Dawn also wondered what he was thinking, but couldn't really ask him. She doubted he'd tell her anyway – while they had gotten quite close over the summer, they were still far from being the best of friends.

"We'd better change," said Hermione at last, long after the compartment had descended into silence. With the boys being outnumbered, they left, taking their uniforms and their robes with them. The girls changed quickly, covering the small window in the compartment door, no words really exchanged between them.

It was only minutes after the boys returned that the compartment that the train began to slow down, pulling into Hogsmeade station. The train descended into organized chaos, everyone scrambling for their things while trying to disembark at the same time. Ron and Hermione had disappeared from the compartment shortly before the train came to a full stop, having to supervise the disembarking process, leaving Harry, Luna, Neville and Dawn to deal with their luggage.

"I'll carry that owl, if you like," said Luna, gesturing to Pigwidgeon's cage.

"I've got Crookshanks," Dawn added, picking up the cat carrier. She peeked into the carrier, and was met by a pair of yellow eyes nearly glaring at her. There was an intelligence in those eyes that ought not to be there. Normally, Dawn was totally gung-ho about cats, loved the little furballs, but this one, she didn't know. There was something about it that screamed not entirely cat, but something more.

"Thanks," said Harry as he handed Luna Pigwidgeon's cage to Luna before getting a firmer grip on Hedwig's.

The night air was chilly when they finally got off the train and joined the students on the platform. Harry was looking around, Dawn wasn't sure for what, but it was evident when he saw the teacher calling out for first years.

"Where's Hagrid?" he asked.

"I don't know," said Ginny. "But we'd better get out of the way, we're blocking the door."

As they moved, Dawn and Neville got separated from Harry, Ginny and Luna, getting jostled by the crowd as they tried to get through to the carriages.

"Are you taking the carriages?" Neville asked. "Don't you have to be Sorted before the feast?"

"I'm not going across the lake in an open boat, in this weather. Are you nuts?" Dawn asked. "Besides, I don't want a bunch of eleven-year-olds staring at me like I'm some kind of freak."

"Good point," Neville said with a nod of agreement. "But you're not a freak."

"Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet," Dawn said with a snort as they finally got to the front of the crowd, where the carriages were stationed. The things that were harnessed to the carriages looked demonic, black, skeletal winged horses whose skin looked leathery. Dawn blinked, wondering if she was hallucinating or something. Nope, still there.

"Uh, Neville?" Dawn asked as Neville tracked down Harry and Ginny, who were standing by Luna, a few groups back as they waited for the carriages.

"Yes, Dawn?" he asked.

"Did you know that the carriages were being pulled by demon horses?" Dawn asked warily.

"You can see them too?" Neville asked, a little in awe.

"Uh, yeah," Dawn replied. "Demons aren't invisible."

"Who did you see die?" Neville asked.

"I don't see how that has anything to do with seeing the demon horsies," Dawn replied.

"Actually, it does," Neville replied. "The demon horses, Thestrals, can only be seen by people who have seen death."

"Oh," Dawn replied. "I guess that makes sense. They definitely look like something Death would ride in on. That, or a motorcycle."

"There you two are," Harry said, waving Neville and Dawn over. "We thought we lost you."

"Buffy would love that, me getting kidnapped right before school starts," Dawn said, rolling her eyes. "It's not even Tuesday!"

"What's Tuesday got to do with anything?" Ginny asked.

"Family inside joke," Dawn replied as Hermione and Ron approached from behind Harry.

"Where's Pig?" asked Ron.

"That Luna girl was carrying him," Harry replied, turning his full attention to Ron. "Where d'you reckon..."

"...Hagrid is? I dunno," replied Ron. He sounded worried. "He'd better be okay."

Dawn's attention was drawn to a bit of a scuffle and some laughter as Malfoy, his two boulders and a rather pinch-faced girl were pushing a bunch of second-years out of the way of a waiting coach. She was about to go over there, give him a piece of her mind, when Neville stopped her.

"It's not worth it," he said, his voice almost sad.

"But who does that, seriously?" Dawn asked. "I bet if he went face to face with someone who wasn't afraid to hit back, he'd get a total attitude adjustment."

Neville was about to say something when Hermione came out of the crowd, looking rather harassed.

"Malfoy was being absolutely foul to a first-year back there. I swear I'm going to report him, he's only had his badge for three minutes and he's using it to bully people worse than ever... where's Crookshanks?"

"I've got him," Ginny said, handing over the cat.

"Thanks," said Hermione, accepting the cat. "Come on, let's get a carriage together before they all fill up."

"I haven't got Pig yet!" Ron said, but Hermione was already heading to the nearest carriage. Shrugging at Neville, Dawn followed, catching up with Harry and Ron.

"What _are _those things, d'you reckon?" Harry asked Ron just as Dawn reached them.

"What things?" Ron asked.

"Those horse..."

Just then, Luna appeared holding Pigwidgeon's cage in her arms; the owl was flying around as if it had downed a half a dozen pixie sticks in the last ten minutes.

"Here you are," she said. "He's a sweet little owl, isn't he?"

"Obviously she didn't have to live with it for the last month," Dawn muttered to Harry, causing him to snort.

"Er, yeah, he's all right," said Ron gruffly. "Well, come on then, let's get in... what were you saying, Harry?"

"I was saying, what are those horse things?" Harry asked, as they all made their way to the carriage, where Hermione and Ginny were now seated, saving it for them.

"What horse things?" Ron asked.

"The horse things pulling the carriages!" said Harry impatiently. Dawn realized, rather quickly, that Ron, and probably Hermione and Ginny, and possibly Luna, wouldn't be able to see Thestrals, because they'd obviously had never seen death.

"Harry," Dawn said. Harry looked at her, panicking a little. He was probably thinking he was going crazy. "I can see them."

"You can?" Harry asked.

"Yep," Dawn replied. "And I'm perfectly sane. Well, as sane as someone who grew up on a Hellmouth and saw her hometown sink into the ground, but still."

"See _what_?" Ron asked, looking between Dawn and Harry in confusion. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Hermione and Ginny gesturing to them to get into the carriage already, Luna and Neville having joined them. It was going to be a tight fit, but since it was a pretty short trip Dawn would deal with being squished next to either Ron or Harry. Preferably the latter.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Dawn said, tugging on Harry's arm. "Come on, we should probably get going. I don't want to miss my own Sorting."

"Wha-? Oh, right, yeah," Harry said, allowing himself to be led into the carriage. He was obviously stunned a little. Ron scrambled after them, hot on their heels.

"Seriously, see _what?_"

XOXOXO

The meeting seemed to drag on forever, even though it was an hour, tops. Dumbledore had just wanted an opportunity to go through the procedure for the feast that evening, finalize the students' schedules and address any questions the faculty may have. All throughout the meeting, Buffy could feel Umbridge's toady little gaze on her, scrutinizing her, watching her. It was unnerving, and it took all of her self-control not to bolt out the door and away from the creepy woman as quickly as she could when the meeting was over. Instead, she had composed herself, instead walking briskly out the door, being near the front but not the first person out. She was about halfway down the hallway when she realized that she didn't know where her rooms or her office was going to be. Thankfully, Dumbledore was calling her name soon afterwards as he strode in her direction.

"Since the meeting wasn't as long as I had anticipated, why don't we work out the details of your new position now?" he asked, pleasantly.

"Sure, sounds like a plan," Buffy said. "Do I get my own office?"

"I would not compromise the students' confidentiality by having you share an office with one of the other professors," Dumbledore said with a subtle twinkle to his eye. "I was hoping to place you somewhere on the second or third floor, which is mostly neutral ground. Slytherins and Huffelpuffs are housed in the lower floors of the school and Gryffindors and Ravenclaws on the upper floors. None of the heads of houses have office or classroom space on those floors, either."

"Sounds good," Buffy said. She looked around for a few moments and, realizing that they were, for the moment, alone, continued. "I don't think Professor Umbridge likes me all that much."

"She doesn't like much of anyone, Buffy," Dumbledore said. "She was sent by the Ministry to spy on me and the school, to make sure that nothing inappropriate is being taught."

"I thought the Ministry was separate from Hogwarts," Buffy said, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"Generally, yes, but a law was passed over the summer that allowed the Ministry to appoint a professor if I am unable to find anyone suitable," Dumbledore replied. "As experienced as you are, the Ministry would not find you suitable, due to your age and your limited exposure to the wizarding world."

"But you still wanted me around to keep an eye on things," Buffy said, and Dumbledore nodded. "Gotcha."

"And here we are," Dumbledore said, stopping in front of a plain wooden door. There was already a sign on it that said "Buffy Summers, Guidance Counsellor".

"Looks like you set this up with the impression I was going to say yes," Buffy said as Dumbledore opened the door. The bookshelves already had a selection of psychology, parenting and self-help books and both wizarding and muggle pamphlets about various issues relevant to teenagers. The desk was already set up with both muggle and wizarding office supplies, and the sight of the little cup with the ballpoint pens put a small smile on her face. "What were you going to do if I said no?"

"I would have given you the office in your capacity of director of our defence against the dark arts club," Dumbledore replied. "All faculty in the school have their own offices, even Mr. Filch. And it's not like we're suffering for space – there are many rooms in the castle that have been unused for decades."

"Then why don't you downsize a little bit?" Buffy asked, wondering why there was so much space, but so little of it was used.

"You never know when you may need the space," Dumbledore replied with a small smile.

"So, when is Hagrid coming back?" Buffy asked. "I miss the great lug."

"I'm afraid we don't know," Dumbledore replied. "There hasn't been any word from him in about a month. But not to worry, my dear, Hagrid is more than capable of taking care of himself, and while he is gone we have a very capable teacher taking over his duties as gamekeeper and professor of Care of Magical Creatures."

"It's not him I'm really worried about," Buffy muttered.

"Nor am I," Dumbledore replied. "I shall leave you here for now. Dinner will be after the sorting – the students usually arrive at about six o'clock. I trust you don't want to miss your sister's Sorting."

"No, definitely don't want to miss that," Buffy replied. "Is there anything else you need from me?"

"I just want to show you one more thing," Dumbledore replied. "If you'd follow me."

Dumbledore crossed the room and stopped in front of one of the bookshelves. He took out his wand and tapped the right side of the bookshelf four times. It swung open, revealing a door, which he opened before gesturing to Buffy to precede him. She did so, and was met by a rather beautiful set of rooms.

Her guest quarters when she had first arrived at Hogwarts were nice, but they had nothing on these. The first room she had entered was a sitting room and a small kitchen area, with plush, squishy armchairs that reminded her a lot of the Gryffindor common room. In fact, there was one rather large chair she had remembered sharing with Quentin more than once, and falling asleep in while doing her Charms homework even more than that.

"Is that what I think it is?" Buffy asked, walking over to the chair and running her hand over the back of it.

"I suppose the castle decided that you would have more use for this chair than the Gryffindor common room," Dumbledore replied. "I'm sure that there is a suitable replacement chair in the common room that will be just as loved as this one was."

"Wow," Buffy said, looking around at the rest of the room. The colours were mostly neutral, although there were hints of her house heritage in the red and gold accents scattered around the room. She went to the room on the left, and was met by a bedroom dominated by a king-sized four-poster bed with red and gold bedding. Another door on the right side of the room led to a fairly sizable bathroom with a large bathtub, a toilet, a pedestal sink and a shower. She came out of the second door in the bathroom, which led back into the main room.

"I trust your room are satisfactory?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling at the expression of wonder on Buffy's face.

"Definitely," Buffy replied. She smiled up at Dumbledore. "Thank you."

"Whatever for?" Dumbledore asked.

"For doing this for me and Dawn. For letting me put some space between me, and Sunnydale, and the Council and everything that's happened," Buffy replied. "Just... thank you."

"Think nothing of it," Dumbledore replied. "Hogwarts takes care of its former students. Having Dawn become a student here just fit in nicely."

"Still, thank you," Buffy said gratefully.

"You're welcome," Dumbledore said. "I'll leave you now. I trust you'll be able to find your way around?"

"If not, I'll ask one of the ghosts to point me in the right direction," Buffy replied with a shrug. "Except Peeves. He'll probably point me in the direction of the dungeons and think it's absolutely hilarious. And maybe the Bloody Baron. He creeps me out."

"He does tend to do that," Dumbledore said. "If you require my assistance, don't hesitate to come and find me."

"Will do, Professor," Buffy replied.

"I think in the circumstances, it would be more than appropriate for you to call me Albus," Dumbledore said.

"That'll take some getting used to, Pro – Albus," Buffy said.

"I'm sure you will," Dumbledore said. "I'll see you at the feast."

Dumbledore turned and left, closing the door behind him. Buffy smiled to herself, finally able to do something she'd been looking forward to since the moment she'd been given the job offer.

Time to go exploring!

**XOXOXO**

**Yeah, I know, it's late. I'm fully expecting to have stuff thrown at me because of that. And parts of the first half were heavily borrowed from the second half of the **_**Luna Lovegood **_**chapter in **_**Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix**_**. I'm trying to branch away a bit from the book. Hopefully subsequent chapters in this fic will be a lot more original and don't involve so much blatant stealing :P.**

**Anyway, as usual, feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 1

Buffy exited her room and cut through her office, entering the corridor. She locked her office and looked around, getting the impression that this particular wing of the school was deserted for the time being.

Until she heard the voice above her head.

"New teachers, what fun!"

This time Buffy heard the faint whistle of a projectile heading towards her head. She was able to step out of the way early enough to keep from getting completely soaked, but when the water balloon landed on the stone floor, it exploded, drenching Buffy's shoes. She slowly looked up and, sure enough, Peeves was floating about ten feet above her head, another water balloon primed and ready for launch.

"I don't care what Dumbledore says," Buffy said, her eyes narrowed. "If these shoes are ruined, I _will _find a way to Slay you, and you're definitely not going to like it."

"Mistress Slayer!" Peeves exclaimed, hiding the bright red water bomb behind his back. "I didn't know you were back! Peevsie was just playing, no harm meant."

"These shoes better not be ruined," Buffy said, glaring at the poltergeist, as he floated down for a closer look. "And keep it down about the Slayer thing – it's not common knowledge."

"Ah, of course Mistress Sl – Miss Buffy," Peeves said, his eyes wide.

"Good, little... whatever you are," Buffy said. "Now, go terrorize someone else. But don't tell them I sent you in their direction."

"Of course, Miss Buffy, Peeves would never betray your secrets," Peeves said, before he turned and zoomed away, cackling like a madman.

Buffy decided to follow in the same direction as Peeves, curious to see if she'd be able to see the aftermath of whatever he decided to do to his next victim. It was funny to watch the poltergeist when one wasn't his victim du jour. However, she didn't get far when she spotted Minerva heading in her direction.

"Ah, Buffy, just the person I was looking for," she said with a smile. "I trust you're settling in well?"

"More or less," Buffy replied with a shrug as Minerva fell into step with her. "It's just weird, being back and, you know, getting to shape young minds and such."

"I'm sure you'll do marvellously. Your previous employer – a Principal Wood, I believe? – spoke very highly of you," Minerva replied.

"You guys spoke to Robin?" Buffy asked.

"Yes. And your Watcher, of course," Minerva replied. "The Ministry wanted proof that we had gone through all of the proper channels before offering you a job."

"I see," Buffy said, unsure of how to take this. She wished that someone had consulted with her first, just so that she could ask about what kinds of things were planned on being discussed when Dumbledore had checked her references.

"You look uncomfortable about that," Minerva said, looking at Buffy with concern.

"A little," Buffy replied. "I mean, you probably talked to Giles after Dumbledore came and picked me up, so he knew what was going on, but I never talked about this life with anyone else in Sunnydale. Not even my sister. I'm just wondering if Hogwarts had been mentioned at all and if I should expect the cavalry to come barging in any moment. My friends really don't like secret keeping, even if it was something I had to do."

"It never came up?" Minerva asked, surprised.

"No," Buffy replied. "It probably should have, especially with the fact that I lived with two witches for about a year before one of them got killed and the other one went crazy and tried to destroy the world."

"That was one of your people?" Minerva asked.

"You guys knew about Willow?" Buffy asked.

"Knew about her?" Minerva said. "_Knew _about her? We had to bloody well cover it up before the Prophet got its hands on the story. The Order was beside themselves when news came back here about her. Thought You-Know-Who was attempting to share a soul with another mortal being. Either that, or another Dark Lord in the making. We never did figure out how she was stopped, nor what happened to her afterwards. I'm guessing you do?"

"Xander stopped her," Buffy replied. "Reminded her that even though Tara was gone, he loved her, and that he would love her no matter what she did. Then Giles sent her to be with a coven here and she's better. Not perfect, but better. I see no world end-age in her future."

"And you fancy yourself a seer, then?" Minerva asked with a sniff.

"I'd forgotten how much you hated Divination," Buffy replied. She shrugged slightly. "Some Slayers get prophetic dreams along with their Calling. I've had a few. I'm bound to hit something on the head once in a while."

"So, is your sister excited about starting at Hogwarts?" Minerva asked, obviously changing the subject.

"I think so," Buffy replied. "I mean, it'll give her a chance to make her own friends with people who aren't my friends and who, you know, know about magic and the kinds of things that go bump in the night."

"What house do you think she'll be in?" Minerva asked.

"No idea," Buffy replied. "She's got qualities from all of them, so it'll be interesting to see what the Hat says about her. Smart as a whip, braver than most of the people I know, insanely loyal to family and friends and a sneaky streak a mile wide."

"It will be interesting to see where she ends up," Minerva said.

"So, was Dumbledore really forced into hiring that Umbridge woman?" Buffy asked.

"Unfortunately," Minerva replied. "You have no idea how much he wanted to hire you for the position, but now is not the time to irritate the Ministry, or things could be made very difficult for Albus. Judging by how the Ministry is dealing with Hogwarts right now, if Albus does not toe the line, regulations could be passed to remove him from the school without consultation with the school governors."

"Ah," Buffy said, not really sure what else she could say about that. "I see."

"How are you dealing with coming back?" Minerva asked, changing the trajectory of the conversation slightly.

"I'm okay," Buffy replied quickly. A look from Minerva had her reassessing her answer quickly – even after so many years of no contact, the other woman knew her far too well. "Seriously, I'm okay. Not great because, hello, it's weird with all of you being old and stuff and people I used to know either not being around or changed so much I can't recognize them. But I'm getting there. It's just weird being back here, with all of the wand waving and magic and other people who know what the dark side of the world is like. Oh God, if Willow could see me now, she'd totally get on my case about getting on _her _case about magic way back. So, what did Dumbledore speak to Robin about?"

"Principal Wood?" Minerva asked. Buffy nodded. "Not much, I suppose. Just introduced himself as the headmaster of a school that you were applying for a job at. You'll have to ask Albus for more details."

"Ah," Buffy replied. "It's weird thinking of him as Albus. He'll always be Professor Dumbledore to me. Or, thanks to my sister, Bumblebee Man."

"Bumblebee Man?" Minerva asked. "Do I want to know?"

"Dawn has a thing with languages," Buffy replied with a shrug. "She said that Dumbledore is an old English word for bumblebee and I'm going to take her word on it. She hasn't steered me wrong yet."

"She might be a Ravenclaw, with an aptitude like that," Minerva said, stroking her chin thoughtfully.

"She might," Buffy replied. "I just hope she's okay, not feeling left out or anything while on the train."

"I sincerely doubt it," Minerva said. "From what I have observed from that particular group, they are very inclusive of new people, provided that they're not a pillock or anything."

"Do you talk like that around your students?" Buffy asked. She couldn't see the seemingly stuffy woman using words like pillock or git, common words heard from Spike and even Giles, around impressionable young minds.

"Certainly not," Minerva replied with a sniff. "Would you like to come by my office for a spot of tea? Maybe have some conversations away from prying portraits?"

She glared around at the portraits on the walls; sure enough, they were watching the two witches, although when they were found out, most of the subjects of the portraits at least tried to look away, pretending that they were otherwise occupied.

"Sounds like a good idea," Buffy replied as her stomach grumbled. "Correction, sounds like an _awesome _idea."

"Come along, then," Minerva said, leading her up to seventh floor, where the Gryffindor Head of House office was located. The trip was passed in comfortable silence, the two former Gryffindors not wanting the portraits to hear them. Before long, they were settled comfortably in Minerva's office, the older witch having sent an order down to the kitchens via the fire before she settled in the chair across from Buffy.

"So," Minerva began, a slightly mischievous twinkle in her eye. "I could have sworn I passed Peeves, cackling like a madman, before I stumbled upon you. You wouldn't happen to know anything like that, would you?"

"No," Buffy replied quickly. Minerva arched an eyebrow. "Okay, fine. I ran into him... it... Peeves when I came out of my office. He tossed a balloon at me before he realized it was me and I told him to go terrorize someone else. Other than that, I have no idea what he was doing."

"And you just so happened to be going in the same direction as he was?" Minerva asked.

"I plead the fifth," Buffy replied.

"Muggle American laws don't work here," Minerva said with a smirk, one that was eerily similar to the one Buffy saw on the other woman numerous times when they were younger.

"Does it make me a horrible person if I like to see vaguely annoying but mostly harmless spirit bug the crap out of someone else?" Buffy asked sheepishly.

"It's only funny when it's not happening to you, right?" Minerva asked. Buffy ducked her head, and the other woman chuckled.

"Darn tootin'," Buffy said with a nod.

"Were you hoping Peeves would run into anyone in particular?" Minerva asked.

"I swear, that woman would be perfect for Snyder if he hadn't been eaten by a snake demon," Buffy replied with a snort before pausing thoughtfully. "On second thought, no. It's probably best that the two of them never met. I don't want to imagine the level of administrative hell they'd cause if they teamed up. Coupled with the fact that both of them are out to get me, it would just end in badness."

"Oh, I'm sure she isn't out to get you," Minerva said, although she didn't sound so sure.

"Oh come on. You were at that meeting. She totally put me through the third degree," Buffy said with a roll of her eyes. "And she was watching me. With those toady little eyes. Could feel 'em burning holes in my head. Maybe I even felt a little bit of an evil vibe from her. What do you think?"

"I don't think so, Buffy," Minerva said with a chuckle. "Although, that does bring up something I wanted to discuss with you."

"Oh?" Buffy asked, curious.

"How the _hell _did you expect to keep something like you being the bloody Vampire Slayer a secret?" Minerva asked. Buffy just blinked at the other woman for a moment, not expecting that kind of language from someone of Minerva's age, even though Buffy had heard that kind of thing when they were younger.

It was definitely going to take Buffy a while to keep straight the fact that just because her friends were much older, they were still the same people and would probably lapse into the same speech patterns they'd used when they were younger. Except for Quentin. And Tom. Those two had changed so much that she doubted she would ever be close to them again. Well, Quentin might have some hope, but from what she had heard, Tom was a lost cause.

"Actually, really well this time, all things considered," Buffy replied. "Quentin, Tom and Hagrid knew because they were nosey and followed me into the forest after the Halloween Quidditch game, Dumbledore and Dippet knew because I spilled everything when I got here, and Professor Giles knew because of some freaky Watcher-Slayer bond that I didn't know we had. I think it might have been why both Merrick and Giles knew who I was without me saying anything to them."

"I'd forgotten about Professor Giles," Minerva said thoughtfully. "She was only around for a couple of years after we left. She was a Watcher?"

"Yep, and my Watcher's grandmother," Buffy replied. "Once she knew what I was, she asked Dumbledore and Dippet if she could act as my Watcher. She knew about the whole me-being-from-the-future thing, but not the name of my Watcher when I disappeared from Sunnydale."

"Small world, eh?" Minerva asked.

"You're telling me," Buffy replied. "I ran into Abraxas' spawn when I was getting Dawn's school things last month. _That _was interesting."

"Which of his spawn?" Minerva asked. "Son or grandson?"

"Both," Buffy replied, wrinkling her nose. "That kid looks so much like his granddaddy it's downright freaky. Not as scary, though."

"I'd be worried if you were afraid of a fifteen-year-old boy, Buffy," Minerva said with a twinkle in her eye as a house elf popped into the room with a tray of food and popped out just as quickly. Sandwiches, pasties, tea and pumpkin juice were all arranged on the tray, a full meal. Buffy's stomach grumbled loudly, reminding her, once again, that she'd skipped breakfast.

"I'm not afraid of a fifteen-year-old boy, Minerva," Buffy replied. "But the kid doesn't have the same kind of presence as his granddaddy did. Nor his father, from what I could tell from our blink-and-you'll-miss-it meeting. Kind of riding on daddy's coattails and relying way too much on his name to strike fear in the hearts of men."

"A name can strike fear in the hearts of men," Minerva said as she poured herself a cup of tea. "Look at You-Know-Who. For over a decade people were still scared of saying his name, even though he was all but defeated by Harry and his mother's love. And you'd better not let Mr. Malfoy, either junior or senior, hear you say that. They're still very powerful in the wizarding world and have the ability to make life hell for someone like you. Tea?"

"No, thank you, but I'll take one of those sandwiches," Buffy replied, grabbing one of the said sandwiches. "And what do you mean, someone like me?"

"No name, no money, no status in wizarding Britain," Minerva replied with a shrug. "Even your status as the Slayer might not be advantageous – I'm not entirely sure what your status is here, as most wizards only know you as a legend, a myth, something to help the children sleep at night."

"Well, I'm hoping to change that view a little," Buffy said. "Dumbledore asked me to put together a Defence Against the Dark Arts club in addition to my duties as guidance counsellor. Giles sent a bunch of demonology books with me when I left back in July for me to use while I'm here."

"And how do you propose to do that?" Minerva asked. "If you're in need of any assistance in planning lessons or anything like that, I'm here to help."

"Thanks," Buffy said. "And I was thinking I would start off by telling them about the kinds of things I dealt with in Sunnydale. That should take me until about Christmas, I'm guessing. Then, I don't know, maybe some physical combat stuff tied in with magical duelling. I mean, every once in a while a wizard's going to lose his wand. I kind of want to make sure the kids aren't sitting ducks if or when that happens, you know?"

"It sounds like you have it mostly figured out," Minerva said.

"I just hope Umbridge doesn't try to put the kibosh on it," Buffy said, wrinkling her nose. "I want to make sure this is as legit as possible."

"I'm sure that, being that this is a faculty-approved student group, you're not going to have any problems with certain members of our faculty shutting you down," Minerva said with a sniff. "Oh wait, before I forget, I have something for you."

"Ooh, prezzies?" Buffy asked, perking up noticeably. "Gimme, gimme, gimme!"

"Well, one present. And it's not just from me. It's also from Augusta and Alastor," Minerva replied, getting up from her seat and walking towards one of her bookshelves. She pulled a leather-bound tome from the bookshelf and brought it over and handed it to Buffy. "Think of it as a welcome back present."

"I – I don't know what to say," Buffy said, opening the book. Pictures, pictures everywhere. Some of them when they were in school. Others of the years afterwards – the weddings, the births, everything. A timeline of her friends' lives from before, during and after Buffy had come into their lives. "I – thank you."

"You're welcome," Minerva said as she sat back down. "Now, I'm going to give you all of the inside information about the students I'd wished I'd gotten when I started teaching here."

**XOXOXO**

"Did everyone see that Grubbly-Plank woman?" asked Ginny as the carriage trundled up the path to the school. "What's she doing here? Hagrid can't have left, can he?"

"I'll be quite glad if he has," said Luna. "He isn't a very good teacher, is he?"

Dawn jumped a little when she heard a chorus of angry voices disagree with Luna, before Harry glanced at Hermione on the other side of the carriage.

"Erm, yes, he's very good," she said quickly and uncertainly, as if she were a little afraid to disagree with Harry when he was in a bad mood.

"Well, we in Ravenclaw think he's a bit of a joke," said Luna, unfazed by the hostility in the carriage.

"You've got a rubbish sense of humour, then," Ron snapped rudely.

"Teachers are always kind of crappy when they first start out," Dawn said. "I'm sure Hagrid was just trying to find his feet over the last couple of years."

She was about to launch into how some of her teachers at Sunnydale High, before Sunnydale had sunk into a crater, had been nervous and stumbled over themselves while teaching because most of them were relatively new and fresh out of school – experienced teachers had wanted nothing to do with the school – but soon realized that her words would have fallen on deaf ears anyway. Luna was watching Ron as if he were a vaguely interesting television show, and the rest of the occupants were tense, Harry especially. Dawn didn't know why the dark haired boy was so tense, but also knew that this wasn't the best time to ask him about it. Instead, she reached over and patted his hand, catching his eye and a small, grateful smile in return.

The remainder of the ride up to the castle was a quiet one, and by the time the carriage stopped in front of the castle doors, Dawn was practically scrambling to get out. It was awkward and she couldn't deal with it, and part of her wondered if the awkwardness was because of her. Another part knew it was because of Luna and her comments about Hagrid.

"Good luck with your Sorting, Dawn," Neville said as they made their way up to the castle doors. "Hope to see you in Gryffindor. I'd hate to have to disown you because you're in Slytherin."

"Please, like they'd want me," Dawn said with a roll of her eyes as she came upon Professor McGonagall, who was waiting for her.

"Come along, Miss Summers," she said before turning and heading towards a chamber just outside of the Great Hall. With one last look to her friends, she waved at them and followed Minerva into the little chamber filled with first years, all of them very young and very scared looking.

"You're too big to be a first year," said a girl with blonde hair tied back from her face in braids.

"It's because I'm not," Dawn replied. "I'm a fifth year."

"My mum said Hogwarts didn't take transfers," said another student, a boy, near the back of the room.

"We do under extenuating circumstances," Professor McGonagall said. "Now, in a few moments you will be Sorted into your Houses. For those of you who don't know, they are Gryffindor, for the brave, Hufflepuff, for the loyal, Ravenclaw, for the clever and Slytherin, for the ambitious. While you may possess qualities of all of the houses, the Sorting Hat will focus on a prevailing trait and will use that to place you where it feels you will most belong. While you are at Hogwarts, you will attend classes, share a dormitory and dine with your housemates. Your House will be like your family. Now then, I will lead you through the Great Hall and you will be Sorted. Please form a single-file line behind me, and when your name is called, you will come to the front and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. Come along."

Dawn found herself near the middle of the line, head and shoulders taller than the kids around her, as they were led into the Great Hall. Hermione had tried to give Dawn an idea of how many students Hogwarts had, but hearing a number and _seeing _it were two different things. There were hundreds of pairs of eyes just watching, staring, and Dawn knew they were staring at her. She was the anomaly, the freak, the tall fifteen-year-old tossed in amongst the Munchkin-sized eleven-year-olds. There were whispers, and Dawn didn't need super Slayer hearing to know what was being said. It was strange being the centre of attention in a semi-normal situation. The Glory fiasco didn't count.

Dawn first tried to find her Gryffindor friends, but even with Ron and Ginny's distinctive hair colour, it proved too difficult. Giving up after a few moments, Dawn began to scan across the teacher's table, being able to identify most of the people there, either because she had met them, or someone, usually Hermione but sometimes someone else, had told her about them. Dawn caught her sister's eye, and Buffy gave her an encouraging smile and a wave. Dawn smiled back weakly, too nervous to really manage anything else.

She was too nervous to pay too close attention to the hat's song, although the initial sight of the ratty old hat singing had given her a wiggins. Her stomach had started to churn – what if Dumbledore and Buffy had been wrong? Sure, she'd been able to get a reaction out of Buffy's wand, and another one had "picked" her, but that could have been some residual Hellmouth-y weirdness, right? It wouldn't be the first time she had thought she was something, and had been bitterly disappointed. She wondered what would happen to her if the Hat said that she wasn't actually a witch, and that she didn't have a place at Hogwarts. Would she be sent back to Grimmauld Place? Or back to Giles?

She hoped that she wouldn't have to ever learn the answer to that question.

"Summers, Dawn!"

Dawn was so caught up in her thoughts that she nearly missed her cue. Stumbling a little over her own feet, causing a few snickers from the students around her, Dawn made her way up to the front of the Hall and hopped onto the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head, and Dawn jumped and nearly fell _off _the stool when she heard the little voice whispering in her ear.

"_After your sister so long ago, I never thought I'd hear from another Summers girl,"_ the Hat whispered in her ear. _"Very interesting, you've led a very interesting life, growing up on the Hellmouth. Loyal to those you love, clever and a love of research, sneaky enough to keep your unsavoury habits a secret. Didn't think I'd find out about that, did you? The Sorting Hat knows all that's in your head, Miss Summers, don't you ever forget that. Ah, but what's this? Willing to jump to your death to save the world? Not doing it for the fame, but just for the sake of saving it? Ah, well, this is interesting. And tells me precisely where you should go..."_

**XOXOXO**

"That hat's been on Dawn's head longer than the others," Buffy murmured to Minerva, who was sitting next to her. "What's taking so long?"

"The Hat's probably just talking to Dawn," Minerva replied dismissively. "It likes to talk to older people, if it can. I think some days, Albus just wears the Hat so that it won't feel lonely."

"And he wonders why the Prophet keeps saying he's bonkers?" Buffy asked incredulously, although her attention was more on Dawn than anything else. So pale, so scared, she wondered what her sister was thinking about. What she was so worried about? Which House she was going to be in? If she was going to be turned away? She, too, wondered what would happen to Dawn if the Hat turned her away. Maybe Dumbledore would let her stay at the school, absorb the culture. Maybe be Buffy's assistant or something.

Buffy didn't get to dwell on it much longer, though, because at that moment the rip near the brim of the hat opened wide and seemed to take a deep breath in preparation for saying something very, very loud.

"_GRYFFINDOR!"_

There were polite claps from the other three house tables, but the Gryffindor table was far more rambunctious. In particular, a small contingent near the middle of the table, the ones who had stayed at Grimmauld Place, were the loudest, Buffy noticed that they had saved a seat for her, next to Neville and across from Harry. The sight had put a smile on Buffy's face, glad that her sister was making her own friends.

"See, I told you that you had nothing to worry about," Minerva said with a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, I guess I didn't," Buffy replied as she settled back to watch the Sorting.

**XOXOXO**

Now that she was Sorted and the relief had washed through her, the last few people to go under the Hat seemed to take forever. The churning nerves of Dawn's stomach had been replaced by the rumble of hunger; those sweets on the train seemed to be so long ago. She really hoped that the beginning of term announcements weren't going to be too long – if they were, Dawn was going to get cranky. No one kept a Summers girl, especially Dawn, away from their food.

"I'm glad I don't have to disown you," Neville whispered with a slightly cheeky smile.

"Like you would," Dawn said with a snort, but inside she wasn't so sure. She'd been told about the House rivalries, especially between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and wondered what would have happened if she had been told to go sit amongst the snakes. If Malfoy was any indication of the kind of students in Slytherin, she'd probably be damn miserable and begging to go back to Giles within a month. Or constantly in detention for resorting to physical violence against her classmates. It could have gone either way.

The Sorting finally concluded with "Zeller, Rose" (Hufflepuff), and after McGonagall took the stool and the Hat away, Dumbledore rose to his feet.

"To our newcomers," he began, his voice carrying across the Hall and his smile wide enough to be seen at all corners, "welcome! To our old hands – welcome back! There is a time for speechmaking, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

Dawn's eyes widened when, one moment the plates were empty and, the next, they were full to bursting with food of every type and kind, the table nearly groaning under the weight.

"Finally," Dawn groaned, grabbing a little of everything and piling food onto her plate.

"Someone hungry?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"You make any comments about my eating habits and I'm going to hit you," Dawn said with a scowl before grabbing a bottle of hot sauce and dribbling some of it on her dinner.

"Didn't way a word," Harry retorted, holding his hands up in mock surrender. Dawn regarded him suspiciously for a moment before she stuck her tongue out at him and dug into her dinner. As she did so, one of the ghosts, the one who had given her the tour during the summer, floated by.

"Miss Summers, so good to see you in Gryffindor," he said, bestowing a smile on her. He patted her on the shoulder, and it took all of her self-control not to shiver.

"What were you saying before the Sorting?" Hermione asked the ghost. "About the Hat giving warnings?"

Dawn's ears perked up ever so slightly. Warnings? She supposed that the Hat was sentient, and would therefore be aware of what was going on. Living in Dumbledore's office, it would probably get most of the information about the war first-hand, especially what was going on with the Order. She hadn't been paying attention during the song, but she was sure paying attention now.

"Oh yes," Sir Nick said, turning his attention to Hermione. "Yes, I have heard the Hat give several warnings before, always at times when it detects periods of great danger for the school. And always, of course, its advice is the same: stand together, be strong from within."

"Ow kunnit nofe skusin danger ifzat?" asked Ron. Dawn looked at him incredulously; she'd thought Xander was gross when he showed her he could shove an entire Twinkie in his mouth, but that was downright civilized compared to whatever Ron was doing. If she didn't have a cast-iron stomach of her own, she probably would have puked all over Harry.

"I beg your pardon?" Sir Nick asked. Hermione looked about as ill as Dawn felt.

"How can it know if the school's in danger if it's a hat?" Ron asked after taking a huge swallow.

"I have no idea," Sir Nick replied. "Of course, it lives in Dumbledore's office, so I daresay it picks things up there."

"And it wants all the houses to be friends?" Harry asked. He glanced at something across the Hall, and Dawn followed his gaze to the Slytherin table. "Fat chance."

"Stranger things have happened," Dawn said with a shrug.

"Oh yeah, like what?" Harry asked.

"Vampires and demons being friendly with the Slayer," Dawn replied, taking another bite of her mashed potatoes and hot sauce.

"Know many Slayers, do you?" Sir Nick asked.

"I've met a few," Dawn replied, hoping that no one else near who wasn't in the know could hear her.

"I still don't see it happening," Harry said.

"Well, now, you shouldn't take that attitude," said Sir Nick. "Peaceful co-operation, that's the key. We ghosts, though we belong to separate houses, maintain links of friendship. In spite of the competitiveness between Gryffindor and Slytherin, I would never dream of seeking an argument with the Bloody Baron."

"Only because you're terrified of him," said Ron.

"Terrified?" Sir Nick asked, sounding affronted. "I hope I, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, have never been guilty of cowardice in my life! The noble blood that runs through my veins - "

"What blood?" asked Ron. "Surely you haven't still got - ?"

"It's a figure of speech!" Sir Nicholas said, so annoyed that he wasn't trying to keep his head straight. "I assume I am still allowed to enjoy the use of whichever words i like, even if the pleasures of eating and drinking are denied to me! But I am quite used to students poking fun at my death, I assure you!"

"Nick, he wasn't really laughing at you!" said Hermione, looking at Ron furiously.

"Hermione, can you be a dear and kick him for me?" Dawn asked.

"Why do I get kicked?" Ron asked, indignant.

"So you'll stop putting your foot in your mouth," Dawn retorted. "And I don't think I can reach you without kicking Harry, and since he didn't do anything wrong I don't want to risk his bodily harm."

"I'm not going to _kick_ him," Hermione said, although she smacked him on the arm. Sir Nick sent an appreciative look Dawn's way before he rose up from the table, straightened his feathered hat and swept away from them to the other end of the table, coming to rest between two boys who looked rather small for their age, and they looked a fair amount alike.

"Well done, Ron," Hermione snapped.

"What?" said Ron indignantly. "I'm not allowed to ask a simple question."

"It's not _what _you ask, it's _how _you asked it," Dawn said. "And let's face it, asking a ghost about whether or not he still has blood when he's using a common phrase was kinda stupid."

Dawn glanced at Harry, who looked like he wasn't going to intervene anytime soon. He was probably used to the bickering, just like Buffy and Willow had been used to Xander and Cordelia, or all of them had been used to Spike and Buffy.

The remainder of the meal was passed in relative quiet, a little awkwardness as she served herself some treacle tart that Harry had told her was amazing. After the food had been eaten, it disappeared from the tables and Dumbledore once again stood up at the head table.

Dawn mostly tuned him out, hoping that he wasn't going to take too long. She was full of good food and finding herself getting sleepy – travel did that to her. All she wanted to do was snuggle under the covers in her Winnie the Pooh pyjamas and go to sleep. When he began on the staff changes, Dawn paid a little closer attention, wanting to hear what he had to say about Buffy.

"We have had three changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons. We have found that we are in need of a guidance counsellor, and would like to welcome Miss Buffy Summers, who will be acting in that capacity. Her office is on the third floor, near the Arithmacy and Muggle Sudies classrooms. We are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

The round of applause that went through the Hall was polite and scattered, except for the little group who had stayed at Grimmauld Place – and Neville – who all clapped rather enthusiastically for Buffy. Dawn didn't miss the alarmed looks that Harry, Ron and Hermione shared – what about, she wasn't sure.

"Tryouts for the house Quidditch teams will be taking place on the - "

Dawn wondered why Dumbledore had stopped talking, until she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. "_Hem, hem._" Someone at the end of the table, dressed in pink and looking like she might have been half of some kind of toad demon without the green and scaly skin, stood, as if she was intending to give a speech. Dumbledore sat down, and Dawn snorted when she saw his expression – he looked angry and annoyed, two expressions she'd never think she'd see on the old man.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge began, her voice coated in sugar. It made Dawn's skin crawl. "For your kind words of welcome." She cleared her throat again before continuing. "Well, it's lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" Her smile didn't lessen Dawn's half demon assessment. "And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!"

Dawn looked around – the woman was delusional. There were no "happy little faces" in the room. Well, except for Luna, but she had a dreamy smile on her face that made Dawn think she was happy about something in her head, not something that was going on around her. The last time Dawn had been talked to like this, she was seven years old and in daycare.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I'm sure we'll be very food friends!"

Dawn snorted in laughter at this, causing Neville to elbow her in the ribs, although he was barely concealing laughter himself. Umbridge cleared her throat again, but when she started speaking, her voice had taken on a more serious tone, and much of the girlishness was gone.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them forever..."

Dawn had pretty much zoned out by now, her eyes beginning to droop as she propped her chin up on her hand. Every time she stared to nod off, Neville would elbow her in the ribs, and she would glare at him, but Dawn ended up not absorbing anything. By the looks of things around the Hall, she wasn't the only one whose attention was waning.

At the end of the speech, Dumbledore began to clap, and so did the rest of the staff, although it was far from enthusiastic. Some of the students joined in as well, but Dawn definitely wasn't one of them. Dumbledore stood again, and began speaking about Quidditch, but Dawn tuned him out when Hermione started speaking

"Yes, it certainly was illuminating," she said.

"You're not telling me you enjoyed it?" Ron said quietly, turning a glazed face towards Hermione. "That was about the dullest speech I've ever heard, and _I _grew up with Percy."

"I'm going to have to agree with the human trash compactor here," Dawn said, causing Ron to scowl at her. "Only switching 'grew up with Percy' with 'listened to pompous Watcher windbags'."

"I said illuminating, not enjoyable," said Hermione. "It explained a lot."

"You're going to have to give us the cliff notes version, 'Mione, because I don't think any of us actually paid attention," Dawn said, earning a glare from Hermione. "Alright then, ix-nay on the Inone-May."

"What?" Ron asked.

"Pig Latin," Dawn replied. "I'll teach it to you some day. It's really easy. But Hermione was saying?"

"Sounded like a load of waffle to me," Harry said.

"There was some important stuff hidden in the waffle," said Hermione glumly.

"Was there?" said Ron blankly.

"How about: 'progress for progress's sake must be discouraged'? How about: 'pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited'?"

"Plain English, please?" Dawn requested.

"It means that the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts," Hermione said plainly. They all looked at each other, not quite sure what to say.

"Well, crap," said Dawn finally.

**XOXOXO**

**Chapter 12 done, folks. It kind of got away from me, which is why it's so long. Don't get used to it :P. As always, positive feedback and constructive criticism is appreciated. Flames will be posted on the Twits forum at Twisting the Hellmouth for other people to laugh at :).**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

It wasn't long before it was time to head up to the Gryffindor common room. Dawn giggled when she heard Ron calling out to the first years – "Hey – hey, you lot! Midgets!" - and the ensuing chastisement by Hermione, but wasn't able to be too amused by it as Harry got up, holding a hand to help Dawn up as well. Blushing slightly, she got up, just as the contingent of first years marched by, following the prefects out. A couple of them were nudging each other and whispering, staring at Harry. It wasn't the usual "Oh my God, he's Harry Potter" staring that had happened in the past, but something a little more malicious.

"Come on, let's go," Dawn said with a sigh, seeing Harry's face fall. She wasn't sure why the kids were staring and whispering, but it would come out eventually. Put a bunch of kids together and secrets didn't stay secrets for long.

It wasn't until Dawn spotted Luna that she remembered what the odd girl had said. That she "glowed green". The last time that had been brought up was when Glory was running amok in Sunnydale, and the people she caused to go insane. It was something that worried her, and something she needed to talk to Buffy about. Thankfully, she saw her sister coming out of the Great Hall, speaking with Professor Dumbledore.

"I'm going to have to catch up with you, okay?" Dawn asked, turning to Harry.

"Sure," Harry replied, although he looked confused. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know yet," Dawn replied. "I just have to go talk to Buffy about something."

"Don't be long," Harry said.

"I'll try not to," Dawn replied, taking Harry's hand and squeezing it reassuringly before she turned and jogged off, hoping that she wouldn't be interrupting anything too important. Maybe Dumbledore would be able to help – he was supposed to be old and knowledgeable about stuff, right?

It wasn't until Dawn had fought her way across the current of students that she reached Buffy and Dumbledore, who were just finishing their conversation when she got there.

"Dawn, what's wrong?" Buffy asked, concerned. The worry showed plainly on Dawn's face, and it was causing Buffy to get worried. "Do you need me to get Professor Dumbledore for you?"

"Not yet," Dawn replied. "Can we go talk in your office or something? You do have an office or something, right?"

"Sure, sure," Buffy said. "Congrats on getting into Gryffindor, by the way."

"Would you have disowned me if I were in Slytherin, too?" Dawn asked.

"Why? Is that's what's bothering you, people joking about disowning you because of what house you got sorted in?" Buffy asked. Dawn snorted.

"Hardly," Dawn replied. "Neville's been mentioning it, but I know he wouldn't actually do it."

"So, what's bothering you?" Buffy asked.

"I'd like to be in your office first," Dawn replied. "Keep prying ears from listening in."

"Okay," Buffy said. "It's a bit of a hike."

"Lead on, sister dear," Dawn said, waving Buffy forward.

XOXOXO

Buffy had been ready to get up from the table and head back to her room after dinner, the food having made her sleepy and Umbridge's speech making her want to hit something. She'd brought some of her patrolling gear with her, to Hogwarts, and thought it might be a good idea to go into the Forest, to see if there was anything around she could take her aggression out on.

It was Dumbledore's soft voice calling out her name that kept Buffy from bolting from the Great Hall. She turned and waited for the old man to catch up to her, a smile on his face.

"I was hoping to speak with you before you escaped," he said.

"Not escaping," Buffy replied. "Just maybe slipping out for a little bit of light slayage. Hagrid isn't around to keep the beasties in the Forest in check, so I thought I'd pick up some of the slack while he wasn't around."

"Admirable of you, Miss Summers, and I won't keep you long," Dumbledore said. "I just wanted to smooth out some of the details of your employment before you got too settled into your routine."

"Well, I was thinking of running my club on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday afternoons for now, changing it to accommodate Quidditch practices and anything else that might come up. I'll get sign up sheets up within the next couple of days and hope that people will want to take the class," Buffy replied. "As for the guidance counsellor thing, I'll have hours from about eight in the morning until curfew during the week, and weekend appointments upon request. Drop ins will be welcome and if someone wants a specific appointment they can owl me. I'll get posters up, telling everyone about my operation."

"Well, it looks like you've got everything sorted out," Dumbledore said. "If you send me the details of everything, I can make sure notices are posted on the common room bulletin boards by morning."

"Sure, I can scribble out a quick note and send it through the fire before I head out on patrol," Buffy replied.

"Excellent," Dumbledore said, clapping his hands once. "I think I see your sister coming this way, so I'll take my leave. If you need me, I shall be in my office. Password is Acid Pops."

"Thanks," Buffy said, watching Dumbledore leave as Dawn came up to her, looking worried. "Dawn, what's wrong? Do you want me to get Professor Dumbledore for you?"

The old man wasn't too far away, and it wouldn't take long at all to catch him. And, if they couldn't, Buffy had the password to his office, and could go get him if need be.

"Not yet," Dawn replied. Buffy was really curious now, especially because Dawn seemed a little antsy. "Can we go talk in your office or something? You do have an office or something, right?"

"Sure, sure," Buffy said, trying to be comforting. "Congrats on getting into Gryffindor, by the way."

"Would you have disowned me if I were in Slytherin, too?" Dawn asked.

"Why? Is that's what's bothering you, people joking about disowning you because of what house you got sorted in?" Buffy asked, taken aback. She'd never mentioned anything about disowning her if she'd been sorted into Slytherin, so that meant someone she knew saying something like that. Dawn snorted.

"Hardly," Dawn replied. "Neville's been mentioning it, but I know he wouldn't actually do it."

"So, what's bothering you?" Buffy asked.

"I'd like to be in your office first," Dawn replied. "Keep prying ears from listening in."

"Okay," Buffy said. "It's a bit of a hike."

"Lead on, sister dear," Dawn said, waving Buffy forward.

It wasn't as much as a hike as Dawn had thought, and before long they were entering Buffy's tastefully decorated office, the walls covered in bookshelves. Dawn took a few moments to peruse the shelves, wondering what would be stocked in the office of a Defence Against the Dark Arts club leader. She was surprised to find a lot of psychology and self-help books amongst the history and other various books.

"Um, Buffy?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, Dawn?" Buffy replied.

"Why do you have all of these psych books?" Dawn asked, turning to fully look at her sister.

"Dumbledore offered me another job this morning," Buffy replied with a shrug. "Guidance counsellor. Remember, announcement at dinner? Or were you so zonked you stopped paying attention? I saw Neville nudging you awake, but I thought that was just because of Umbridge's speech."

"Sorry, distracted," Dawn said, shaking her head. Buffy was seated on a small sofa, and she patted the space next to her.

"No problem, I forgive you. Come on, sit," she said. "You said you had something you wanted to talk about?"

"We might have a problem," Dawn said as she sat down.

"What kind of problem?" Buffy asked. The seriousness in Dawn's voice was concerning. "Demon problem?"

"I don't think so," Dawn replied. "More like a key problem."

"What happened?" Buffy asked.

"Well, I met a girl on the train. Luna," Dawn replied. "She seems nice, if a little odd. Was reading her magazine upside down. She looked at me and, in front of everyone, said that I glowed green."

"How did everyone react to that?" Buffy asked.

"No reaction whatsoever," Dawn replied. "I think she might say that kind of stuff often. You know, crazy, out there things, not that people glow different colors."

"You've gotten to be a good judge of character," Buffy said. "Did she give you any bad feelings?"

"No," Dawn replied, shaking her head. "Just a little odd. She asked if I knew that I glowed green and then she just went back to her magazine. No one said anything about it and everything was normal. Until Neville poked his plant and it puked all over everything, and then some really pretty girl poked her head into the compartment and made Harry go all goofy. Oh, and then Malfoy came in and I totally would have kicked his ass if he hadn't listened to Hermione and left when he was told."

"Neville's plant barfed on you?" Buffy asked.

"Yep," Dawn replied with a nod. "He said his Uncle Algie got it for him from Assyria. He poked it with a quill and then it spewed this goop all over the place. I got a face full because I was holding his toad."

"Dawnie!" Buffy exclaimed, scandalized. "I really hope that wasn't a euphemism for holding his... you know."

"What? No!" Dawn exclaimed. "Ew, no. Neville has a pet toad named Trevor."

"And that makes sense," Buffy said. "Way more sense. I don't know what I was thinking. Sorry."

"You're worried, I get it," Dawn replied with a shrug. "Not that I'm saying I'm okay with you following me around in the shadows or anything, because I'm really not. But you're worried, 'cause I'm growing up and all that fun stuff. If I ever do the dance with no pants in the near future, I'll make sure that who I'm doing it with doesn't have a 'happiness revokes his soul' curse, k?"

"Dawn, you're fifteen," Buffy said with a roll of her eyes. "You'd better not be thinking about that yet."

"I'm not," Dawn replied with a shrug. "But if it happens, I'll be careful. Promise."

"And I should probably let you go before this conversation gets weird, because I have to do up a rough outline of what the club is going to be covering, and I'm sure you want to get back to your friends," Buffy said.

"Okay," Dawn said, getting up. "Is there anything I should do about Luna?"

"I can talk to her, if you want," Buffy said. Dawn looked sceptical. "Not a 'I'm a scary slayer and you're a threat to my loved ones' talk. Just a 'one of the other students said you said something to her, and I want to make sure we're not going to have a conflict' talk. Very low key and non threatening. Promise."

"Kay, because I don't want people to be threatened on my behalf," Dawn said with a shake of her head.

"Don't worry, I won't," Buffy said. "Now go on, head back to the tower. I'm sure you have a house full of people dying of curiosity."

"And I'm sure you've got a night of patrolling ahead of you," Dawn replied with a smirk.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Buffy said innocently.

"Please, after that speech by Umbridge, I want to hit something," Dawn said with a roll of her eyes. She leaned down and hugged her sister. "See you in the morning."

"See you," Buffy agreed. Dawn straightened up and left, heading up to where she had been told where the Gryffindor common room was. She was about halfway there when she realized that she had no idea where she was going and, if she did, she didn't have the password anyway.

"Crap," she muttered to herself, looking around, trying to find a helpful and friendly face. Unfortunately, she didn't find one. What she did find was Malfoy stalking towards her, a smirk on his face.

"What's this, a Gryffindor out of bed?" he asked, looking almost gleeful. "I could take points for that. I could put you in detention for that."

"No, you can't," Dawn replied, checking her watch, thankful that Buffy had gotten her a wind-up. Her battery watch would have been fried as soon as she'd set foot in Hogsmeade. "It's eight-forty-five. Curfew isn't until nine-thirty. So, for another forty-five minutes, you can't do jack shit about me being out of my common room. So there."

Dawn resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

"Well, I can still take points away for being disrespectful to an authority figure," Malfoy replied haughtily.

"Please, you're a fifteen year old with a shiny badge and an attitude problem," Dawn replied with a snort, crossing her arms. "Until you actually start acting like an authority figure and not just some moron on a power high, you're getting no respect from me, bucko."

"That so?" Malfoy asked, taking a step forward. Dawn took a step back, keeping the same amount of distance between them. Malfoy took out his wand and twirled it between his fingers. "You know, I could make you respect me. Wouldn't be that difficult."

"You'd have to catch me first," Dawn retorted, but she wasn't so sure anymore. She'd heard how fast spells could travel, and considering how close they are it really _wouldn't _be too difficult for the boy who had probably been studying dark magic for as long as he could properly wave a wand to hit her with a rather nasty curse.

"What's going on here? Dawn, why aren't you up at Gryffindor tower yet?"

Dawn whirled around and was ever so relieved to see her sister walking briskly towards them. Malfoy's wand was quickly hidden in his robes, as if it had never been drawn in the first place.

"Got lost," Dawn replied. "Was about to go back and ask if you knew, but I ran into Malfoy here, threatening me with detention because I was out of bed."

"Come on Dawn, I'll show you. I'm sure Mr. Malfoy has some other people to terrorize," Buffy said, gesturing for Dawn to follow her. The younger girl stuck her tongue out at the Slytherin before turning and letting Buffy lead her up to the seventh floor.

XOXOXO

Harry was getting worried.

Dawn had disappeared to talk to her sister, and while Harry didn't know what, precisely, they were talking about, Dawn had said they were going to be quick. He was sure she could take care of herself if need be, but it didn't stop him from feeling worried about her. Coupled with the fact that he'd had a fight with Seamus about what had happened at the end of June, he just wanted to see another friendly face.

Harry looked up when he heard the portrait creak open and Dawn stumbled through the entrance, the portrait swinging shut behind her. She crossed the room and flopped down next to Harry on the couch.

"Have a good talk?" Harry asked.

"Good enough," Dawn replied.

"It doesn't look like you had a good talk," Harry said. "I mean, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine."

"Oh, it's got nothing to do with my talk with Buffy. That went fine," Dawn replied. "It was who I ran into after my talk with Buffy. You got three guesses as to who it was."

"Malfoy," Harry said. It wasn't a question.

"Yep," Dawn replied, popping the 'P'. "Got on a huge power trip, saying that he could toss me in detention because I was out of my common room. He wasn't to happy when I reminded him that it wasn't curfew yet and I could do what I damn well please."

"Are you sure you should be doing that?" Harry asked. "I mean, I can handle Malfoy because I've got magic training, but you... er... haven't."

"Yeah, but I've lived on a hellmouth since I was ten," Dawn replied with a shrug. "Known about the darker side of life since I was what, eleven, twelve? Been doing research since I was thirteen, and I helped saved the world at freakin' fifteen. I got kidnapped by a psycho vampire and babysat by another one. Tall, blond and bitchy doesn't scare me, and he won't until he gives me a reason to be scared."

"You really have lived an interesting life, haven't you?" Harry asked.

"Yep. I gots lots of stories to keep you interested," Dawn replied. "But you. You're out here and there's no one else out here. What gives?"

"I couldn't be in the same room as Seamus," Harry replied.

"Which one's Seamus?" Dawn asked. "I don't think I've met him."

"The Irishman who believes the Daily Prophet," Harry replied glumly. "Thinks I'm a crazy liar."

"I'm sorry," Dawn said, patting Harry's arm. "Well, at least the important people know you're not crazy. That's got to count for something, right?"

"I suppose," Harry replied. "Well, you're back safe, and Seamus is probably asleep by now, so I'm going to head to bed."

"You waited up for me?" Dawn asked. Harry looked away, blushing. "Aw, that's so sweet. But really, you're going to bed now? It's only nine-fifteen."

"Well, what would you suggest we do?" Harry asked. Dawn smiled and turned so that she was sitting sideways on the couch, her legs crossed.

"How about we trade, story for story?" Dawn asked.

"Fair enough," Harry replied, smiling as he mimicked Dawn's posture. "You go first."

XOXOXO

It was nearly midnight when Draco Malfoy's eagle owl swooped into the ballroom of Malfoy Manor, finding the recipient of the letter tied to its leg quickly. It landed on Lucius Malfoy's shoulder, offering the scroll on its leg immediately. The blond man took the small scroll, breaking the seal and unrolling it quickly.

"What is it, Lucius?" Voldemort asked, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.

"A report from Hogwarts," Lucius replied, scanning the letter for himself before handing it to his master. "Some very interesting developments at Hogwarts this year."

"Let me see it," Voldemort said, holding out his hand. Lucius placed the letter in his hand before backing off a couple of steps, watching his master carefully. The silence was thick as Voldemort read the letter, the few Death Eaters in the room waiting with baited breath. When he was finished, Voldemort smiled, a terrifying thing that would have had his followers shrinking back in fear if they hadn't been made of sterner stuff. "Oh."

"What is it, my Lord?" Lucius asked. It was so rare to see the Dark Lord smiling, actually _smiling_, that it made his Death Eaters worried.

"Things have just gotten very interesting," Voldemort said with a sinister chuckle, reading the letter over again. "Very, very interesting."

XOXOXO

Harry gasped as he awoke, his scar burning. It took him a few moments to realize where he was, and when he did, he sat up quickly. He had fallen asleep on one of the couches in the common room, using Dawn as a pillow. As soon as he got up, Dawn awoke, blearily looking around.

"Wha - ?" she asked, before she, too, realized where she was and took in the fact that Harry was wide awake. "Harry, what's wrong?"

"My scar," Harry replied, rubbing his forehead. "It hurts."

"Is that normal?" Dawn asked.

"It's not supposed to be," Harry replied, still rubbing his forehead. He lowered his voice, making sure that anyone who might be listening couldn't hear them. "My scar connects me to You-Know-Who. Sometimes I can see what he sees, feel what he feels, especially when he's having a strong emotion. When it happens, my scar hurts."

"What did you see this time?" Dawn asked, taking mental notes. "To make your scar hurt?"

"Malfoy – the older one – got a letter from someone here, at Hogwarts, about what's been going on," Harry replied. "He read it, and then gave it to You Know Who. He read it and became... happy. Well, happy for him. It was really weird, actually. Not an experience I'd want to repeat."

"What was in it?" Dawn asked, wondering what could have been in that letter.

"Well, it was an update on what had gone on during the feast, who the new staff members were," Harry replied. "He seemed very happy when he saw that. Probably thankful that the Umbridge woman is here. She seems like she'd fit into his world plan."

"Was Buffy mentioned in the letter?" Dawn asked carefully.

"Yeah, why?" Harry asked.

"I need to go talk to my sister," Dawn said quickly. "Now."

"It's after curfew, Dawn," Harry said, grabbing onto her wrist when she went to get up from her seat.

"You think I care about curfew?" Dawn asked.

"Well, no, but I don't want you to get caught either," Harry replied. "Won't your sister be in bed, anyway?"

"Probably not," Dawn replied. "She said that she was going to go patrol the Forest tonight. She's probably still out there."

"Can't this wait until morning?" Harry asked. "I mean, if she's out patrolling, she won't be in her office and probably won't be there until late, anyway."

"I don't care. I'll sit outside her office if I have to," Dawn replied.

"You'll get caught by Filch, and then you'll have to clean the trophy room. The muggle way," Harry replied. "Unless..."

"Unless what?" Dawn asked.

"If you let me come with you, I have a way to make sure you won't get caught," Harry replied.

"If I let you come with me, you'll make sure I don't get caught," Dawn repeated. "How the hell are you going to do that? Unless you know some fancy-shmancy invisibility spell up your sleeve."

"Not quite," Harry replied, getting up. "Wait here."

Harry got up and ran up the stairs to the boy's dormitory, leaving Dawn in the middle of the common room, alone. She stood up so that she could straighten herself out before Harry came back down the stairs, quiet as he could be, something silver in his hands.

"What's that?" Dawn asked, pointing to the piece of fabric in his hands.

"Watch this," Harry replied, swinging the cloak over his shoulders so that, when it settled, all that was left of Harry was a head floating about five and a half feet off the floor.

"What the crap?" Dawn asked, amazed.

"Invisibility cloak," Harry replied with a grin.

"Handy," Dawn said with an approving nod. "Is there enough room under there for me?"

"I've been able to get me, Ron and Hermione under here," Harry replied. "I'm sure just getting you under here won't be a problem."

"Cool," Dawn said as Harry opened the cloak. Dawn slipped underneath it and, after Harry had thrown the hood over their heads, they were off.

The corridors were deserted as Harry pulled out his wand and a rather large piece of parchment. He read the parchment by wand-light, whispered "mischief managed" and stuffed it back into his back pocket, his wand up his sleeve.

"What the frilly heck was that?" Dawn whispered.

"Map of the school that shows everyone's movements," Harry replied. "We've got a clear path to your sister's office if we leave now. She's not there yet, though."

"We've got time," Dawn replied as they started off, heading towards Buffy's office. They were both quiet and their footsteps careful and quiet, ensuring that no one would be able to hear them. Dawn was grateful for the soft rubber soles of her shoes, instead of the hard plastic she could have gotten.

They had just about reached Buffy's office when they heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Harry yanked Dawn and flattened them against the wall as Buffy came down the corridor, covered in dirt with a sword on her back.

"It's just Buffy," Dawn whispered as her sister unlocked her office. She stopped for a moment, looking around, her eyes narrowed.

"You've got five seconds to show yourself or I start poking the air with sharp things," she said, her voice threatening.

"No poking, no poking," Dawn said, whipping the invisibility cloak off of her and Harry before he could protest. "It's just us, it's just us."

"What are you two doing out of bed?" Buffy asked, striding over to them. "It's after midnight, you'd better have a good reason."

"I do. We do," Dawn replied. "Harry had a dream about You Know Who."

"So, people have dreams about horrible people all the time," Buffy replied. "After I smashed the Master into tiny little pieces, I had nightmares about him for months."

"Harry has a mental connection to him through his scar," Dawn whispered. A look of comprehension dawned on Buffy's face.

"You'd better come inside, then," Buffy said, leading the teenagers into her office.

XOXOXO

**Okay, so I know it's late. And I really don't have any kind of excuse except the fact that I was working on another piece and it kind of just took up any kind of time I had. But we have another chapter here, and while I'm not ecstatic about it, it has it's good bits. Feedback on this chapter would be awesome. Thanks for reading.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Harry was nervous as he and Dawn sat on the sofa in Buffy's personal quarters, waiting for her to put her weapons away and clean some of the muck and gore off of herself. It wasn't long before Buffy came out of the bathroom dressed in black sweatpants and a t-shirt, looking a little cleaner than she had before.

"Do you guys want anything?" Buffy asked. "I could probably get the house elves to bring up something for you as when I ask for my snack."

"No, thank you, Miss Summers," Harry said quickly.

"You might as well call me Buffy," Buffy said with a shrug as she grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. She scribbles something on it, threw some floo powder into the grate and tossed the piece of paper into the fire before she sat down on a chair across from the teenagers seated in front of her. "So. Voldie dreamage. What's the scoop?"

"Well, I had a dream," Harry began. "About him. It was really, really clear. He'd gotten news about Hogwarts, probably whatever had gone on at the feast. He seemed happy when he read the names of the new staff members, but I can't figure out why. I think he might be happy that Umbridge is around – she seems like his type."

"Well, did you see the letter, or did you just get an impression of what was on it?" Buffy asked, growing a little concerned. She really hoped she wasn't going to have to bug Dumbledore at this hour, but it was looking like she would have to.

"I saw flashes of it," Harry replied, concentrating. "It's starting to fade, though, quickly."

"Here, write what you saw down," Buffy said, grabbing a pen and a pad of paper. "And I'm going to go and talk to Dumbledore. I just hope he's still up."

"Do we really have to get him involved?" Harry asked, taking the proffered pen and paper.

"I don't know, which is why I'm going to go and talk to him. I'll be back in a jiffy," Buffy said, getting up and heading out of her office. She prayed to God, Merlin and whoever else might be listening that she wasn't going to be waking the old man up.

Buffy skidded to a halt in front of the gargoyles guarding Dumbledore's office, hurriedly giving them the password before running up the stairs, reaching the top in record time. She knocked on the door and hopped from one foot to the other, waiting for Dumbledore to open the door. When he did, Buffy was relieved to see that he was still dressed. At least, Buffy was pretty sure he was still dressed. It was a little hard to tell, with the old man wearing robes all of the time.

"Miss Summers, what a pleasant surprise," Dumbledore greeted, a twinkle in his eye. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"We need to talk," Buffy said. "Now."

"Come inside," Dumbledore replied, standing aside. The seriousness in the slayer's tone worried him. He hoped it wasn't anything too dire. He crossed the room and started puttering with the silver tea service sitting on a little end table. "Tea?"

"No thank you," Buffy replied. She sat down in one of the chairs, vaguely aware of the fact that it was almost the same set as the ones that had been there when Dippet had been headmaster.

"What can I do for you that couldn't have waited until morning?" Dumbledore asked, sitting down as a spoon stirred his tea all on its own.

"Sorry about that," Buffy said sheepishly. "But Dawn and Harry came to me just now, telling me that Harry had a dream. About Voldemort."

"And?" Dumbledore asked.

"He said that Voldemort had gotten a report about what's going on at Hogwarts," Buffy replied. "About the new teachers and staff members. My name was on there. Harry said that he seemed happy about one of the teachers on there. Harry seemed to think he was happy about Umbridge, but I honestly doubt it. I mean, Buffy Summers isn't that common of a name."

"This is most perplexing," Dumbledore said, looking thoughtful. "Have you told him anything about your past with Tom Riddle?"

"Just the version of events you told me to tell," Buffy replied. "The fact that I went to school with him and that he stalked me."

"Do you know if there was a description of the professors in the letter?" Dumbledore asked.

"Harry didn't say," Buffy replied. "I don't think there was. Harry's a smart boy, Professor Dumbledore. He's going to figure it out eventually. With Hermione around, it might be even faster – she'd know what sections of the library to look in when it came to looking up school records like photo albums and yearbooks. I kind of don't want him to find out on his own and believe we were lying to him."

"Are you prepared to deal with the consequences of the information you share with him?" Dumbledore asked. "It may take a while to gain his trust back."

"Then I'll work to gain his trust back," Buffy said with a nod. "I'd rather have everything out in the open and have to work at getting him to trust me again, rather than have him trust me on half truths."

"If that is what you feel you must do, I will not be the one to stop you," Dumbledore said.

"Do you want to come down and talk to Harry?" Buffy asked.

"I cannot," Dumbledore replied.

"Why not?" Buffy asked.

"Because of Harry's connection with Voldemort," Dumbledore replied. "Voldemort is an experienced Legilimens, and if he were ever to find out about Harry's connection to him, he would be able to see into my mind."

"And mine, and Dawn's, and anyone else in the school," Buffy retorted with a snort. "Are you suggesting that we all stop looking Harry in the eye? Because that's going to look mighty suspicious."

"No," Dumbledore replied. "As long as Voldemort is unaware of his connection with Harry, we still have time."

"Okay," Buffy said. "I'm going to go now, see Harry and Dawn. And hopefully not have to clean up trashed rooms."

"Then I shall not stop you from doing what you think is right," Dumbledore said with a long sigh. He finished off his tea before he stood, taking a silver box from the mantle before he presented it to Buffy. "I think this may be a faster route back to your office."

XOXOXO

"What does Buffy need to speak to Dumbledore alone about?" Harry muttered to himself. "It's my dream, shouldn't I be involved in this?"

"I don't know Harry," Dawn replied, chewing on her bottom lip. Knowing the full, or almost full, history of the Buffy Summers and Tom Riddle saga, she knew exactly why Buffy was talking to Dumbledore. "How long have you had a connection with You Know Who?"

"I've probably known for years, ever since he shared a body with my first year Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," Harry replied. "I thought it was Snape at first, making my scar hurt."

"That's tall, dark and greasy, right?" Dawn asked. Harry snorted and nodded. "He looks the part. But then again, so did Angel, but he was a good guy until he lost his soul. And Glory looked kind of nice, but she ended up being a hellgod who wanted to use my blood to open a portal back to her home world."

"Right, you mentioned that. How does that work again?" Harry asked.

"My blood is kind of like an interdimensional lock pick," Dawn replied with a shrug. "Make me bleed, say some funny words, poof, portal. At least, it was like that. I dunno if it still works but I'm really not that keen on finding out."

"I see," Harry said carefully. Dawn wondered if Harry was going to ask her some questions about it, but didn't have any kind of time to really dwell on it because they were distracted by the fire turning green. A Buffy-sized person came tumbling out, jumping to her feet soon after as she brushed the soot from her clothes.

"Buffy, are you okay?" Dawn asked, getting up to help her sister to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Buffy replied, brushing herself off. "Dammit, I'm going to have to change again. Hope the house elves like doing laundry." 

"They really do love taking care of the school," Harry said. "Have you figured out what might have been going on in my dream?"

"I think I know why Voldieshorts was happy when he read that letter," Buffy said, her voice careful. "In fact, I _do _know why. Remember when I told you, over the summer, that I was in school at the same time as Voldemort?"

"Yeah," Harry replied. "You said he used to stalk you."

"Yeah, that's how it started," Buffy replied. "Slughorn also made him my Potions tutor, because I needed the help and Riddle was the best there was."

"What does this have to do with him being happy you're here," Harry asked warily.

"Let me go and get something," Buffy replied, getting up. "I'll be right back."

They all watched as Buffy left, heading for her bedroom. She emerged a few moments later, a large, leather-bound photo album in her hands. She squished in between Dawn and Harry and flipped open to a page near the middle.

"Before I show you this, you need to understand that evil people don't start out evil," Buffy said handing over the album. "Evil sets in over time. He wasn't entirely evil when I met him, to the point where he could have been reformed, maybe. We'll never know, now. He was... changed, I guess, by the time I left. And then Malfoy had to go and screw it all up."

It was a picture that had been taken at the Slug Club New Year's bash, the one she had attended with Tom. Someone had gotten a shot just as Tom had pulled her into his lap for the midnight kiss. It replayed over and over; Buffy could see the reflection in Harry's glasses.

"So, you were involved with Voldemort," Harry said, his voice quiet as he closed the book.

"I was involved with a boy named Tom Riddle, who eventually became Voldemort," Buffy said.

"You lied to me," Harry said.

"No, I told you that I was involved with Tom Riddle," Buffy said calmly. "I downplayed the extent of my involvement with him, but I never denied knowing Tom before he became Voldemort."

"No," Harry said. "He was calling himself Lord Voldemort in his fifth year, after he killed Myrtle. Did you know that he killed a girl with his great dirty Basilisk?"

"I know that now," Buffy replied. "I know a lot of things about him that I wished I had known when I met him."

"So you were weak," Harry said, his voice even and calm, restrained, as he stood.

"I had no friends, no family," Buffy said. "I was alone and I was clinging to any friendly face that turned my way. If you had met someone else, besides Ron, on your first day, don't you think you would have had a different school experience?"

"That may be so, but you still lied to me, the Order," Harry said. "I think I need to leave. Think about this."

And with that, Harry left, swinging the invisibility cloak over his shoulders so that he could get back to Gryffindor undetected. Dawn got up and sighed, staring out of the door Harry left through.

"There goes my ride back to Gryffindor," Dawn said with a sigh. She turned to Buffy. "Will you walk me back? I don't think anyone is going to believe the excuse that I was getting a glass of water."

"Sure," Buffy replied, getting up. "I'm too antsy to sleep now, anyway."

XOXOXO

Dawn woke up the next morning feeling exhausted, having not slept well after returning to Gryffindor tower. She dressed in her uniform quickly, smiling a little at the red and gold lion crest on her robes before she headed down to breakfast. Hermione was already gone, and Lavender and Parvati were still giggling away in the bathroom. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she heard the tail end of Harry blowing up at Hermione.

"Been having a nice little chat with her about whether I'm a lying, attention-seeking prat, have you?" Harry asked loudly.

"No," said Hermione calmly. "I told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you, actually. And it would be quite nice if you stopped jumping down our throats, Harry, because in case you haven't noticed, Ron and I are on your side."

Dawn didn't want to interrupt, but they were right in the middle of the direct path to the portrait hole. After what had happened earlier that morning, Dawn wasn't entirely sure how Harry would react if he saw her. Judging by how he'd nearly bitten Hermione's head off, Dawn had a feeling she'd get glared to death.

Drawing herself up to her full height, Dawn hitched her bag up on her shoulder and emerged from the girl's staircase, breezing past the three fifth years who had been the friendliest out of everyone at headquarters. Harry studiously ignored her as she walked by, and Dawn tried to ignore the curious expressions from Ron and Hermione as she reached the portrait hole, exiting and following the masses of students that were heading down to the Great Hall. As soon as she reached it, she realized that she would have to sit alone – anyone she knew either wasn't there or was sitting with someone else and Dawn didn't want to intrude. Finding a spot a few seats down from the last group from the end, Dawn sat down and began dishing up her breakfast. She didn't get far when Neville plopped down next to her, and a black boy sat across from her.

"I would have thought you'd be sitting with Harry," he said by way of greeting.

"Yeah, Harry and I aren't talking right now," Dawn replied with a shrug. "Well, more specifically, he's not talking to my sister, and he's not too happy with me, either, because I was an accessory to the secret she was keeping."

"He'll come to his senses eventually," Neville said.

"Sister?" the boy sitting across from her asked. "Who's your sister?"

"The new guidance counsellor," Dawn replied. She stuck her hand out across the table. "I haven't met you yet. Hi, I'm Dawn Summers, the newest Gryffindor fifth year."

"Dean Thomas," the boy, Dean, introduced himself, shaking Dawns' hand. "So, you're American?"

"Yep," Dawn replied. She narrowed her eyes. "Got a problem with that? 'Cause if you're going to start treating me like some hick who just fell off the turnip truck, you can leave. Now."

"No," Dean replied, holding his hands up in surrender. "No need to get defensive."

"Sorry," Dawn said, sounding genuinely apologetic. "It's been a rough night."

"Everything all right?" Neville asked.

"Not really, but it will be," Dawn replied with a shrug. "Eventually."

"So, where are you from?" Dean asked.

"Originally Los Angeles, but we moved to Sunnydale when I was about ten," Dawn replied. "We lived there until it sank into a crater back in May."

"How does an entire town sink into a crater?" Dean asked.

"A combination of unstable cave systems and a huge earthquake," Dawn replied. "Oh, and big bad evil trying to open the hellmouth."

"Hellmouth?" Dean asked.

"It's an opening to hell," Dawn replied with a shrug.

"I understand the concept," Dean said. "I just didn't think something like that would exist."

"You go to a school where you learn magic," Dawn said, staring at him. "You wave a wand, say funny words, and things happen. You know that goblins, vampires, werewolves and all other nature of beastie exists. Why is it so difficult for you to think a hellmouth exists?"

"Well, if you put it that way," Dean said sullenly. "Is that what the defence club is all about?"

"I'm not really sure what Buffy's going to be covering," Dawn said with a shrug. "Might be a good idea to sign up and see."

"Already did," Neville replied proudly. "We weren't the first, though. There were a few people on the list when we got there. Looks like there's some interest."

"That's good," Dawn said. "Buffy was worried that no one would be interested."

"After seeing what we've got for an actual Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, she's going to have to find the biggest classroom in the school," Neville said as Professor McGonagall came along the table, handing out schedules before moving on to the next set of students. Dawn was about to look at hers when she heard Ron, about a quarter way down the table, let out an anguished groan and start complaining.

That didn't bode well for Dawn's first day.

"History of Magic, Potions, Divination and Defence Against the Dark Arts," Neville read off. He looked at Dawn sympathetically. "I really hope after today you're not going to decide to go home. Our schedule today is just rotten."

"I've lived on a hellmouth," Dawn replied. "How bad could this be?"

XOXOXO

Buffy had been distracted all morning. After her encounter with Harry in the wee hours of the morning, she was worried that he would go telling everyone and their mother that she had been involved with one Mr. Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort, wannabe world dictator extraordinaire. No one had tried to break down her door yet, but the day was still young.

There had been no activity in her office that day until around lunchtime. Buffy had just put in her order for lunch with the kitchen when there was a knock on the door. Crossing the room, Buffy opened the door and was presented with a delicate looking blonde girl, with large blue eyes, dressed in the Ravenclaw uniform.

"You wanted to see me, ma'am?" she asked, a touch nervously.

"Come on in, Luna," Buffy said, waving in the fifth year. After what Dawn had told her the previous day, Buffy had thought it would be a good idea to get Luna in as soon as possible, sending a note to her as soon as Dawn had left, asking her to come on up during the next day. "Take a seat on the couch. Did you bring any lunch with you?"

"N-no," Luna replied, stammering a little.

"Just as well I ordered enough to feed an army," Buffy replied, sitting across from Luna in what she had quickly dubbed as her chair. She regarded the Ravenclaw sitting in front of her, fidgeting slightly, and Buffy felt a little bad. She hadn't meant to make the other girl nervous, and she wanted to make sure she felt as comfortable as possible. "Don't look so nervous, Luna. Can I call you Luna, or would you prefer Miss Lovegood?"

"Luna's fine, Miss Summers," Luna replied, still fidgeting.

"Okay, Luna. As I said, you're not in trouble," Buffy said. "It's just that someone came to me, saying that you said something rather odd and concerning."

"I say things that people think are odd and strange all the time," Luna replied, turning her wide eyes on to Buffy. "I can assure you, I'm not crazy. My father had me tested. Which incident was it?"

"On the train," Buffy replied. "My sister came to me and said you said she "glowed green". We've had a bit of trouble in the past about that, and I just want to make sure we have no issues."

"I see things that a lot of others don't," Luna replied. "Whether they are unable or just refuse to see it, I don't know."

"Does everyone... glow?" Buffy asked, trying to see if Dawn had been an isolated incident.

"Oh, yes," Luna replied happily. "I have to concentrate to see most people's glow, but Dawn's was so bright I was surprised that no one else could see it. Either that, or they just didn't want to see it."

"Uh... huh," Buffy said, trying to figure out what she was going to say to Dumbledore.

"I'm not crazy," Luna insisted again. "My father had me tested."

"I know you're not," Buffy replied. "Unique, yes. Crazy, no. Do you know what Dawn's green glow means?"

"No," Luna replied after thinking for a moment. "Only that it's extremely bright. I was dazzled by it, it was so pretty."

"All right then," Buffy said as a house elf came through the fire and laid out a tray of sandwiches. After a little bow, it hopped through the fire, heading back to the kitchen. "Would you like a sandwich?"

"Yes, please," Luna replied. She grabbed one and started eating it, and Buffy took the time to study the girl in front of her. She was definitely an odd duck, wearing a butterbeer cork necklace and turnip earrings. Her wand was tucked behind her ear like some muggles tucked pens and pencils behind their ears. The thought made her smile, reminding her of something Quentin had said so long ago.

"What are you smiling about?" Luna asked.

"The way you keep your wand reminded me of something my best friend said about wand storage," Buffy said.

"What was that?" Luna asked.

"Don't store your wand in your back pocket or you might lose a buttcheek," Buffy replied. Luna giggled, snorting a little.

"Your friend was wise," Luna said with a sage nod.

"Yeah, he was," Buffy replied with a sad sigh. She shook her head and changed the subject. "So, are you gonna join my defence club?"

XOXOXO

By the time lunch had rolled around, Dawn realized that she had misspoke that morning. Within ten minutes of entering History of Magic, she had fallen asleep, snoring rather loudly when Neville nudged her awake. Professor Binns didn't seem to notice, but Harry had smiled at her, amused. That had to count for something, at least.

Potions had been hell – the potion they had been set was a difficult one, not something Dawn would have wanted for her first potion. The steam coming off of her cauldron was more of a grey than a silver, which was better than some. Definitely better than Harry's, and Dawn smiled sympathetically at him after Snape had all but reamed him out for missing a few steps. He had just nodded in return, garnering more curious glances from Ron and Hermione.

"Okay, I take it back, it can be that bad," Dawn groaned as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"It's not over yet, either," Neville said, dishing up some lunch for himself. "Maybe Trelawney won't notice you and you won't have to deal with her predicting your death."

"Meh, I could always use a warning," Dawn replied with a shrug. "I mean, if there's a prophecy out there that says I'm gonna die, I kinda wanna know about it."

"Why?" Neville asked.

"So I can try to find a way around it," Dawn replied. "Duh."

"You can't just find a way around a prophecy," Neville said. "They're... prophecies! Destined to be!"

"Oh, you totally can," Dawn replied. "Case and point – my sister."

"Your sister's special, though," Neville replied. "The rest of us mere mortals are just pawns in the greater scheme."

"No, seriously, there was a prophecy that said my sister was going to die," Dawn said. "The prophecy got fulfilled, but it didn't say she was going to stay dead. See?"

"She still died, though," Neville said. "Prophecy one, Miss Summers, zero."

"Well, just because prophecies come true, doesn't mean Professor Trelawney is a seer," Dawn said. "Most seers are quacks."

"That, I definitely can agree with," Neville replied. "Although she did have an uncanny ability to know that I was going to break one of her teacups in our first class."

"Maybe she's spying on all of us," Dawn replied. "Getting to know our habits and stuff so that she can better predict what's going to happen? Because that's not being a seer, that's just stalking."

"Has anyone told you that you're paranoid?" Neville asked warily.

"Well, when you're kidnapped on a semi-monthly basis, you tend to be," Dawn replied with a shrug.

"Hey, your sister isn't there," Neville said, glancing up at the head table. "Where could she be?"

"She probably has a meeting or something," Dawn replied with a shrug. She wasn't worried, although she was a little surprised that someone was seeking her out so early. Happy, but surprised. Dawn had gotten the impression that the wizarding world was slow to change and wouldn't accept something this new, this fast.

"Are you nearly finished?" Neville asked. Dawn looked down at her plate and, realizing that she only had a couple of bites left, nodded.

"Why?" she asked, curious.

"Well, it's a bit of a hike to Divination and I'd rather not get a bad seat," Neville replied.

"I've always liked a man with a plan," Dawn said, getting up. Neville followed and together, he led them up to the North Tower, up the winding staircase that made Dawn dizzy, and up the ladder that led to the classroom.

"If you look up my skirt, I'm going to hit you," Dawn said, narrowing her eyes at Neville playfully.

"What kind of bloke do you think I am?" Neville asked, affronted.

"A bloke," Dawn replied with a shrug. Neville still looked offended and Dawn felt bad. "Sorry. I guess I've been spending too much time around people who preach the evils of men."

"Well, not all of us are bad," Neville replied.

"And I know that," Dawn replied. There was a bit of a line up happening at the bottom of the ladder, and Dawn and Neville were blocking the way. "And as fascinating as this is, we should probably get up there. We're holding up the line."

"Yeah. Right," Neville said, before turning and heading up the ladder. Dawn followed suit, praying that no one was looking up her skirt.

The room was nearly empty, Ron and Harry the only ones there besides Neville, when Dawn popped into the room. It was large and circular, and very, very warm. Dawn could feel herself sweating almost immediately, and knew that her hair was going to frizz up like crazy.

"Come on, over here," Neville said, leading her to a table in one of the corners. Dawn glanced at Ron and Harry, who looked like they were arguing about something, before following, sitting down on one of the surprisingly comfortable chairs. That, combined with the temperature of the room and the incense that was burning somewhere, Dawn felt like she was going to fall asleep again.

"Good-day," said Professor Trelawney. Dawn nearly snorted in laughter when Professor Trelawney started speaking, her voice taking on a misty, dreamy quality. She was dressed like one of those gypsy fortune tellers one sees at the fair, with the voice to go with it. Dawn doubted that this woman was an actual seer. If she was, Dawn would do something crazy. She wasn't sure what, but she'd do something.

The rest of the class was rather boring. Dream interpretation. It was one of the things that Tara had been working on with Dawn before she had died. The thought put a small, sad smile on her face.

"What is it?" Neville asked. She was looking at his dream journal when she had started smiling.

"Just remembering that a friend of my sister's was trying to teach me this," Dawn replied.

"Oh, then you must be really good at it," Neville said.

"She died before we could get too far," Dawn replied with a sigh.

"I'm sorry," Neville said. Dawn waved him off.

"It's okay, I've made my peace with it," Dawn replied. "So, let's see what doom and gloom is going to happen to you, eh?"

It wasn't long before the bell rang and it was time for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Dawn nearly giggled when she heard Ron complaining about the amount of homework the had gotten so far. She knew how much they had, she was there, but in reality, it wasn't that much. A page and a half there, a page and a half here. Writing in a journal every morning. Sure, there were other classes and would be other homework, but the essays they'd been set could be done in a night, maybe two, if you were lazy.

"What are you giggling about?" Neville asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Dawn replied, shaking her head slightly. "Come on, one more class to go."

"You're telling me," Neville said. "I'll be very glad when today is over."

It was an uneventful walk to the Defence Against the Dark Arts, if a little crowded. When they reached the classroom, Professor Umbridge was already there and Dawn was really beginning to think she was evil. No one dressed like that and acted that sweet without being completely evil.

It reminded her of the mayor. Evil bastard.

"Well, good afternoon!" Professor Umbridge greeted them after people had settled down. There were a few mumbled 'good afternoons', but most people ignored her, including Dawn. "Tut, tut. _That _won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply "Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge". One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," the class parroted back, like drones.

"There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."

Yep, definitely reminded Dawn of Mayor Wilkins. In her head, she was already planning on thwarting an Ascension. Maybe she could get Buffy on board and they could pull another Graduation Day. Dawn hadn't been there, but she'd heard about it from the Scoobies, both in her fabricated memories and afterwards when she would ask the Scoobies to tell her stories.

Professor Umbridge took out her wand – a short, knobbly one – and tapped the blackboard. Dawn watched as curly, girly cursive appeared on the board.

_Defence Against the Dark Arts_

_A Return to Basic Principles_

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" Professor Umbridge stated. She turned and face the class, her hands clasped in front of her. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed the the Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your OWL year."

As Umbridge droned on in her sickeningly sweet voice – Dawn was sure she was going to have a cavity once she was finished there – Dawn looked around to see how her classmates were reacting to what was being said. Not well, if the expressions from her classmates, which ranged from boredom to downright outrage, were anything to go by. She was brought back to earth when Umbridge had asked them to copy a few things down. Dawn took out her quill – which was really a cleverly-disguised ballpoint pen that she had found when she and Buffy made a quick foray into muggle London after they had finished getting her school supplies – and started scribbling words down on parchment.

"Miss Summers," Professor Umbridge asked, looking at Dawn in such a way that made Dawn feel like the older woman was trying to see right into her soul. The rest of the class turned and watched what was unfolding. "What is that you're using?"

"A quill," Dawn replied, stamping down the urge to be bratty. The last thing she wanted was to land herself in detention on her first day.

"May I see it, please?" Professor Umbridge asked sweetly. Dawn reluctantly handed the pseudo-quill over, and Umbridge snatched it up quickly, examining it. A sweet smile crossed her features, but it did nothing to put Dawn at ease. "What's the meaning of this, Miss Summers?"

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"This is not a proper quill, Miss Summers," Professor Umbridge replied. "Did you not learn how to use a proper quill at your previous school?"

"We did things a little bit differently in the States," Dawn replied.

"Ah yes, right. Well, I think it's about time you adapted to our way of doing things," Professor Umbridge replied. She turned to Neville, who cowered under her gaze. "What's your name, dear?"

"Neville Longbottom," Neville replied, his voice quiet.

"Mr. Longbottom. Do you have a spare quill and some extra ink that Miss Summers can use?" Professor Umbridge asked.

"Yes, of course," Neville replied, reaching into his bag to get a spare quill and ink pot.

"Good," Professor Umbridge said, smiling at Neville. She turned back to Dawn. "I think I'll be keeping this... interesting quill. You will not be getting it back."

Dawn resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at Umbridge's retreating back as she took the quill and ink, whispering a quick 'thank you' to Neville. She uncapped the ink pot and, as she dipped the quill in it, prayed to some higher power that she didn't mess this up. Thankfully, nearly everyone in the room had stopped watching her, letting her figure it out in peace.

"Has everybody got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory _by Wilbert Slinkhard?" Professor Umbridge asked after a few more minutes of scratching quills. Dawn remembered the book well. It read like stereo instructions. After a few murmurs of agreement, Professor Umbridge clicked her tongue in disappointment. "I think we'll try that again. "When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply, "Yes, Professor Umbridge" or "No, Professor Umbridge". So, has everyone got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory _by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

"Yes, Professor Umbridge," the class chorused.

"Good," Professor Umbridge said. "I should like you to turn to page five and read "Chapter One, Basics for Beginners". There will be no need to talk."

Dawn wondered how long it would take before someone said something about this. She wouldn't have to wait long, because after only a few moments Hermione had her hand in the air. Dawn carefully watched Professor Umbridge and Hermione, the latter resolute in keeping her hand up and the former ignoring the latter. Soon, other people started watching the scene in front of them unfold. It wasn't until the majority of the class was watching them that Professor Umbridge did something to act.

"Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" she asked Hermione.

"Not about the chapter, no," Hermione replied. Dawn had abandoned her book completely, allowing it to stay closed so that she could watch what was going on. This was way more fun than stereo instructions.

"Well, we're reading just now," said Professor Umbridge, smiling. Dawn noticed that she had sharp, pointy teeth. "If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of the class."

"Oh, Hermione's going to get it," Neville whispered.

"Harry's probably going to get it first," Dawn whispered back, watching the boy in question. He was watching the interplay between Umbridge and Hermione, but he was looking rather cranky about what was going on.

Dawn knew that this was going to turn out badly.

"What use is that?" said Harry loudly. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be in a -"

"_Hand, _Mr. Potter!" Professor Umbridge sang. Harry thrust his hand in the air, but Professor Umbridge turned her back to him, but now there were several other hands in the air, including Dawn's.

"What do you think you're doing?" Neville hissed, trying to get Dawn to put her hand down.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Dawn hissed back. "I have something to say."

Neville didn't say anything as Professor Umbridge called on Dean.

"Well, it's like Harry said, isn't it?" said Dean. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk free."

"I repeat," said Professor Umbridge, the ever-present sweet smile on her face. It was making Dawn want to hit something. "Do you expect to be attacked during my classes?"

"No, but -"

"I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this school," Professor Umbridge said, talking over whatever Dean had to say, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed – not to mention extremely dangerous half-breeds."

"The only irresponsible teacher I see here is you," Dawn said.

"_Hand_, Miss Summers," Professor Umbridge said, turning her beady eyes onto Dawn. She stared back at her defiantly. "And why, pray tell, do you think I'm the irresponsible one?"

"You're supposed to be teaching us how to defend ourselves against the dark arts," Dawn replied. "We might not get attacked here, but once we're out there, in the world, we're sitting ducks. Snacks for some beasties who might think we're all tasty morsels."

"Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?" Professor Umbridge asked sweetly.

"I don't _imagine_ anything. I _know_," Dawn said. "I know what's out there. I've lived in the middle of it. Demons, vampires, dark creatures, hell gods. Lots of vampires like the taste of children, didn't you know?"

"Lord Voldemort," Harry added onto the end.

There were gasps and shrieks around the room; Neville had gone so far as to fall off of his chair. Umbridge, however, just smiled that same sickeningly sweet smile at the two of them, now looking at her in defiance.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor, Miss Summers, Mr. Potter."

The classroom was dead silent; you could hear a pin drop. Umbridge's voice was quiet as she stood and leaned forward on her desk.

"Now, let me make a few things quite plain. You have been told that a certain dark wizard has returned from the dead -"

"He wasn't dead," Harry said angrily. "But yeah, he's returned!"

"As I was saying," Umbridge continued, talking over Harry. "You have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. _This is a lie_."

"It's not a lie!" Harry said. "I saw him, I fought him!"

"Detention, Mr. Potter!" said Professor Umbridge without missing a beat. "Tomorrow evening. Five o'clock. My office. I repeat, _this is a lie_. The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in danger from any dark wizard. If you are still worried, by all means come and see me outside class hours. If someone is alarming you with fibs about reborn Dark wizards, I would like to hear about it. I am here to help. I am your friend. As for you, Miss Summers, you are a child. You do not know of what you speak. Demons are unheard of in the wizarding world, and vampires do not attack wizarding children. I do not know what you have been taught, but here you have nothing to fear. And now, you will kindly continue your reading. Page five, "Basics for Beginners"."

How dare she. How _dare _she! Sure, Dawn didn't know a lot of things, but she knew her demonology. And vampire history. She could rattle off how to kill about six different demons off the top of her head, and knew exactly where to look for at least a dozen more.

"I wasn't _taught_," Dawn said. "I _lived _it. I lived on a Hellmouth for five years. I watched it sink into the ground. I know dozen demonology books backwards and forwards. I've been kidnapped by a hellgod and had my blood used to open a portal to unleash hell on earth. I have watched my friends die by magical, demonic, and muggle means," Dawn said, her voice quiet. "Do _not _presume to tell me what I do and do not know."

"Such fanciful stories," Professor Umbridge said with a little laugh. "I think you would do to spend some time in detention with Mr. Potter. Same time, same place."

Dawn resolutely sat down, her eyes narrowed at Umbridge. She almost missed Harry getting up, Hermione pulling on his sleeve to sit back down.

"So, according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord, did he?" Harry asked.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident," Umbridge replied, her voice cold.

"It was murder," said Harry. Dawn could see him shaking, and she almost expected him to completely explode all over everyone. "Voldemort killed him and you know it."

"Come here, Mr. Potter, dear," her voice soft, sweet and girlish, after she had stared at him for a few moments.

Harry's chair was kicked to the side before he strode to the front of the room. Dawn had to strain her ears to hear what Professor Umbridge was saying as she took a roll of parchment – also pink – and scribbled a note onto it.

"Take this to Professor McGonagall, dear," she said, holding out the note. Harry took it and stalked out of the room. Dawn waited a beat before she gathered up her things, also getting ready to leave.

"Where do you think you're going, Miss Summers?" Professor Umbridge.

"With Harry," Dawn replied. "He needs a friend right now."

With that Dawn, grabbed her bag and left, unaware that Umbridge was scribbling another note, this time putting it through the fire.

It didn't take Dawn long to catch up to Harry, who was walking at a pretty fast clip down the hallway.

"Harry, wait!" Dawn exclaimed. Harry turned, his eyes narrowed when he saw who was calling his name.

"What do you want?" Harry asked.

"Look, you can be mad at my sister all you want," Dawn said. "But I didn't do anything, so back off."

"You're right, I'm sorry," Harry said. Dawn blinked at him. "What?"

"Well, that's a huge speech about your stupidity gone to waste," Dawn replied. "Oh well."

"Still what are you doing out here?" Harry asked.

"I walked out," Dawn replied. It was Harry's turn to stare. "What? She questioned my knowledge about the supernatural, she questioned your knowledge about the dude with no name and I think she might be evil. Like, turn into a giant snake demon evil."

"Giant snake demon?" Harry asked. "Do I want to know?"

"Probably not," Dawn replied. They turned a corner and ran right into Peeves the poltergeist, juggling inkwells.

"Why, it's Potty Wee Potter!" the poltergeist cackled, letting a couple of the inkwells to crash to the floor. Harry had been able to jump out of the way fast enough, but Dawn's shoes and tights had gotten splattered.

"Oh, it's on," Dawn said, narrowing her eyes at him. "It's on like the break of dawn."

"Get out of it, Peeves," said Harry, the expression Dawn was quickly referring to as his "annoyed face" in her head firmly in place. He grabbed Dawn by the wrist and started dragging her down the hallway.

"Ooh, crackpot's getting cranky," said Peeves, following them. "What is it this time, my fine Potty friend? Hearing voices? Seeing visions? Speaking -" he blew a loud raspberry "- tongues?"

"You're Peeves, right?" Dawn asked.

"Who wants to know?" Peeves asked, turning his attention to Dawn.

"Well, you know, my sister might be upset if she finds out you've been terrorizing her baby sister," Dawn replied. She waved at him. "Hi, I'm Dawn Summers. Buffy's my big sister."

Peeves stared at Dawn for a few moments before he turned and zoomed down the hallway, clattering the picture frames and the suits of armour in his wake. A door to their left opened up and McGonagall emerged from her office, looking rather grim.

"Miss Summers, Mr. Potter," she said, her expression unreadable. "I've been expecting you."

**XOXOXO**

**So, chapter 14. Yaaaaay. I really wanted to get the Defence Against the Dark Arts class in here, and I'm so glad I did. And hey, super long chapter for your reading pleasure. Kind of awesome, huh? Hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks for reading. **


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Sit down," McGonagall said when Harry and Dawn had entered her office. The door was closed and McGonagall sat down behind her desk.

"I'm supposed to give this to you," Harry said, handing over the note from Professor Umbridge.

"Yes, Delores – Professor Umbridge – mentioned that you would be bringing a note with her when she contacted me," McGonagall said, scanning over the note. "Well, is this true?"

"Is what true?" Dawn asked, wondering, exactly, what Umbridge had said.

"Is it true that you shouted at Professor Umbridge?" McGonagall asked Harry.

"Yes."

"You called her a liar?"

"Yes."

"You told her He Who Must Not Be Named is back?"

"Yes."

"And you, Miss Summers," McGonagall said, rounding on Dawn. "Did you call Professor Umbridge irresponsible?"

"Yep."

"Did you tell her not to presume what you do and do not know?"

"You betcha."

"Did you tell her about some of the things you lived through on the Hellmouth?"

"Darn tootin'."

"Have a biscuit," McGonagall said, pushing a cookie tin across the desk. "Both of you."

"What?" Dawn asked. This was weird. While she hadn't been sent to the principal's office all that often – she hadn't attended enough to actually make any kind of impression – she knew that this definitely wasn't normal.

"Have a biscuit," McGonagall repeated, rattling the tin. Harry helped himself to a Ginger Newt and, once she saw what they were, Dawn grabbed one as well. "You two must be very careful. _Especially_ you two."

McGonagall's voice was low and anxious, as if she was trying to keep from being overheard. Considering they now had a member from the Ministry of Magic in the school, it was entirely possible that she had eyes and ears all over the place now.

"What do you mean, especially us two?" Dawn asked. "What did we do?"

"Misbehaviour in Dolores Umbridge's class could cost you much more than house points and detention," McGonagall continued.

"What do you - ?" Harry began, but McGonagall cut him off.

"Potter, use your common sense," Professor McGonagall snapped, her professor facade back in place. "You know where she comes from, you must know to whom she is reporting. You, Miss Summers, need to keep your head down. The last thing we need is the Ministry knowing that the Slayer is more than a myth, and that we have one on premises. I've read some of the myths, and they're not very favourable to the Slayer. They make her out to be more animal than human. I shudder to think what will happen if the Ministry finds out she's here."

"I didn't say anything about Buffy," Dawn said.

"No, you didn't," McGonagall said. "But the way Umbridge told it, you're a raving lunatic, spouting off crazy, alarmist stories about demons and vampires attacking the school."

"I said no such thing," Dawn replied with a snort.

"I'm sure you didn't," McGonagall said. "But when the Ministry is faced with the report of one of their officials, and the word of a fifteen-year-old Hogwarts student with no magical background, they're going to believe the Ministry official every time. They may say they're progressive, but if anything, they're stuck in the dark ages more than anyone."

"Sounds like the Watcher's Council before they went boom," Dawn replied with a snort.

"Went boom?" McGonagall asked, before she shook her head. "Not important, I'll get the information from your sister eventually. In the notes Professor Umbridge sent me, you both have detention for a week, starting tomorrow evening at five."

"Every evening this week!" Harry exclaimed, horrified. "But Professor, can't you - ?"

"No, I couldn't," McGonagall said.

"But - "

"She is your teacher and has every right to give you detention. You will go to her room at five o'clock tomorrow for the first one. Just remember: tread carefully around Dolores Umbridge."

"But I was telling the truth!" Harry exclaimed, outraged. "Voldemort is back, you know he is; Professor Dumbledore knows he is - "

"Harry, sweetie, you yelled at a teacher," Dawn said, her voice quiet, putting a hand on Harry's arm. "You're lucky you only got detention, especially if she's anything like Snyder, which it looks like she is."

"You'd do well to listen to Miss Summers, even if she doesn't take her own advice," McGonagall said, tsking under her breath. "Do you really think this is about truth and lies? It's about keeping your head down and your temper under control!"

Harry sat back, sullenly, as McGonagall stood. Shaking Dawn's hand off, Harry stood as well. Rolling her eyes, Dawn followed suit as McGonagall, her mouth tight, thrust the cookie tin at them again. "Have another biscuit."

"No, thanks," Harry said coldly. Dawn just shrugged and grabbed another one, biting the Ginger Newt's head off.

"Don't be ridiculous," McGonagall snapped. Harry's demeanour softened a little as he took another cookie.

"Thanks," he said, grudgingly.

"Did either of you listen to Dolores Umbridge's speech of the start-of-term feast?"

"I tried, but I kept falling asleep," Dawn replied sheepishy. McGonagall looked at her with an expression that should have been disappointment, but it looked more like a cross between amusement and exasperation.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah... she said... progress will be prohibited or... well, it meant that... that the Ministry of Magic was trying to interfere at Hogwarts."

"Well, I'm glad you listen to Hermione Granger, at any rate," McGonagall said, pointing them out of the office. "Miss Summers, I suggest you tell your sister about your detentions. I doubt she'll be happy if she finds out about it from a second-hand source."

"Buffy's gonna kill me," Dawn whined as they were ushered out of the office.

"It won't be that bad, I'm sure of it," Harry said. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Do you need me to go with you?"

"Buffy's not mad at you, if you're wondering," Dawn said. "She knew you'd be mad about her and... you know... and thought you were going to yell at her. At least, I'm pretty sure that's what she thought. I knew I thought that."

"Come on, I'm not _that _bad," Harry said. Dawn just arched an eyebrow at him, and he hung his head a little. "Okay, so maybe I am that bad."

"Yeah, you totally are," Dawn replied with a snort. She pointed at him. "You're still a hormone bomb. Do I need to remind you that we're your _friends_ and we're only worried about your well-being. Just because we know what's going on with other people, doesn't mean we're joining in. You might want to remember that when people are telling you stuff."

"Where did that come from?" Harry asked.

"I heard you talking to Hermione and Ron this morning," Dawn replied with a shrug.

"Eavesdropping? After you gave me hell for it?" Harry asked, incredulously. "That's a little backwards, don't you think?"

"When you're practically yelling at your best friends in the middle of a common area, it's hardly considered eavesdropping," Dawn replied. "You might want to stop doing that, if you want to keep them as friends."

"Oh? Oh? While we're on the topic of friends, what are you doing hanging around Neville Longbottom?" Harry asked.

"Oh, so because we had a fight, I'm supposed to sit all by my lonesome and moon over you until you're ready to talk to me again?" Dawn asked. She shook her head. "I don't think so. I'm not going to sit around, simpering and doe-eyed if you decide to act like an immature bittpipe. Neville's my friend. I'm going to hang out with him, so suck it up. My world doesn't revolve around you. You're not my boyfriend, Harry, you're not allowed to get jealous if I hang around other guys."

"So, if I were your boyfriend, I'd be allowed to do that?" Harry asked. Dawn snorted.

"Hell no," Dawn replied. "You start pulling the overprotective jealous crap and I walk. Of course, we're only talking in hypothetical terms. Not like I've got a chance with you anyway."

Silence descended after that as Harry blinked at Dawn in surprise. Dawn, in turn, clapped her hand over her mouth and had a mantra of something akin to 'oh, crap' running through her mind at a mile a minute.

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked, as Dawn started to slowly back away. Harry was advancing on her, curious.

"Erm... um... nothing!" Dawn replied quickly, her voice a little more high-pitched than normal. "Gotta go talk to Buffy before I forget! Bye, see you at dinner!"

Before Harry could reply, Dawn turned and practically ran through the crowd of students in the hallway, getting lost quickly. She didn't know if Harry was going to follow, didn't much care, because all she needed to concentrate on now was finding Buffy's office and collapsing in one of the chairs in front of the fire.

There may have been some Slayer-Key connection or something, because the first door Dawn knocked on blindly was Buffy's, the blonde woman opening it a moment later. Buffy beamed at her sister and ushered her inside, closing the door behind her.

"So, how was your first day?" Buffy asked, gesturing for Dawn to sit down in one of the chairs. The younger girl did so, flopping down gracelessly into the chair as she groaned. Buffy chuckled at sat in the other chair, watching her sister. "That bad, huh?"

"Potions, History of Magic, Divination and Defence Against the Dark Arts," Dawn replied with a moan. "I fell asleep in class, Harry wasn't talking to me all day, we got detention for a week, Harry and I made up but I made an ass of myself. So yeah, that bad."

"You got detention?" Buffy asked. "On your first day? For a _week_? What the hell did you do?"

"I kind of, sort of, maybe told a teacher that she was irresponsible and that she had no idea what she was talking about," Dawn replied. Buffy just raised an eyebrow at her. "What? She totally didn't. She thought that reading a book, just _reading _a book, not having any practical application of what was written in the book, was gonna be enough to learn how to defend yourself from dark creatures. The only way that'll help is if you light the book on fire and throw it at a vampire."

"Well, I guess it's good that I'm starting a club then," Buffy replied. "But detention? Really, Dawn? You couldn't have kept your mouth shut?"

"She said I didn't know what I was talking about!" Dawn exclaimed. "What did you expect me to do?"

"Come and complain to me and _I'll_ go deal with her," Buffy said, rolling her eyes. "She can't give me detention."

"I'll remember it next time," Dawn said. "Although, the next time Neville sees me winding up like that, he might hit me with a silencing charm or something."

"You and Neville getting along, then?" Buffy asked.

"I'm getting along with a lot of people," Dawn replied with a shrug. "Neville showed me the ropes a bit because Harry was being an asshat, but we're just friends, I swear."

"But you do have your eye on someone?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, but it's not like I have a chance," Dawn replied sullenly.

"Yeah, Ron does stare at Hermione a little too much, doesn't he?" Buffy asked with a smirk. Dawn wrinkled her nose.

"Hermione can have him," Dawn replied. "Ron's nice and all, but gingers aren't really my thing."

"Harry, then?" Buffy asked. Dawn blushed, but nodded. "Why do you think you don't have a chance with him?"

"I can't believe I'm telling you this. Blackmail material, here I come," Dawn muttered.

"Come on, I'd never do that to you," Buffy said with a snort. "Maybe a little light teasing, but no blackmail. I swear."

"Yes, it's Harry, but it's not that I don't think I have a chance with him," Dawn replied. "I _know _I don't have a chance with him. He's got a thing for a Ravenclaw sixth year. I think she plays Quidditch or follows Quidditch or... something. And, y'know, Harry's a total sports nut."

"What's this girl look like?" Buffy asked.

"Well, the last time I saw her was yesterday, and I had plant barf in my eyes," Dawn replied. "But she's Asian. Very pretty. Turns Harry into a gibbering idiot like most boys do when presented with a pretty girl they've got a crush on."

"Well, maybe you should tell him your feelings," Buffy said.

"Oh, Buffy, no," Dawn said, shaking her head. "No, no, no. I can't do that. I want to keep him as a friend without things getting awkward."

"Well, if he doesn't know how you feel, you're not allowed to act like a jealous girlfriend," Buffy said reasonably. Dawn sunk further into her seat, sulking. "Oh, I talked to that Luna girl about what she said on the train."

"Are you sure we should be talking about this?" Dawn asked. "I mean, doesn't it break client/counsellor confidentiality or something like that?"

"No details, just that Luna has no nefarious intentions about your green glow," Buffy said. "She's harmless. Well, as harmless as someone with a wand gets."

"Okay, good to know. I don't wanna get strung up on a tower and bled to open a portal again," Dawn said with a snort.

"But what are the odds of that happening?" Buffy asked. Dawn looked at her. "Okay, so maybe the odds are kind of high, knowing our history. But the school is safe. The wards keep most of the really big nasties out."

"But let enough of the little nasties in so that you can get your slay on?" Dawn asked.

"Hey, I can finally explore that Forest without Dumbledore being disappointed in me. I'm going to take full advantage of it," Buffy said with a snort. "But seriously, are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. As long as Harry stops acting like an asshat," Dawn replied, hopping down from her chair. "I'll see you later?"

"Yep," Buffy replied as Dawn turned and headed out of the office. Buffy called after her sister as she was leaving, "Don't forget to sign up for my club!"

Dawn waved a hand to indicate that she had heard before she closed the door behind her. The corridors were now mostly deserted, everyone having gone back to their common rooms or the library before dinner. Dawn sighed and started heading off in the direction she thought her common room was in, but was hopelessly lost within minutes.

"Maybe they should include a map in the welcome pack," Dawn grumbled, looking around to see if there was someone, anyone, who could show her back to the seventh floor. She didn't want to go and try to find Buffy's office again, because she was sure that she would get even more lost than she already was. Dawn heard a set of heavy, masculine footsteps coming from behind her. She turned and was about to ask for directions, until she saw who it was.

"Oh," she said, her nose wrinkling sightly. "It's you."

"Who were you expecting, Mudblood?" Malfoy sneered.

"Anyone but you," Dawn snarked back.

"You'd do well to respect me," Malfoy said.

"Sorry, dude, but you don't want respect," Dawn said with a snort.

"And you presume to know what I want?" Malfoy replied.

"You want power. You want people to fear you," Dawn replied with a shrug. "What's the point of having people respect you if you have no power over them?"

"My name strikes fear in the hearts of the wizarding world," Malfoy retorted. "You should be quivering."

"Yeah, see, that's where we have a problem here," Dawn said. "Your name? Means nothing to me. I didn't grow up fearing _your _name. Sorry, bucko."

"Why you little..." Malfoy's face contorted in rage as he pulled out his wand and started waving it. Dawn got ready to dive out of the way when another voice joined the fray.

"Do you really think that's a good idea, Mr. Malfoy?"

Buffy stood a few feet away, her arms crossed, an eyebrow raised. Malfoy tucked wand into his pocket and sent a filthy look in Dawn's direction before he turned and stalked off. Buffy sighed and rolled her eyes, coming up and standing next to her sister.

"We Summers sisters definitely don't have the best luck with Malfoys," Buffy said, shaking her head. "You okay?"

"It's just another thing on the long list of crap that's happened to me today," Dawn replied with a shrug. "It's not even the worst thing, really."

"Well, that's good. I guess," Buffy said. "You sure you're all right?"

"Please, he doesn't scare me," Dawn said with a snort. "He's, like, the Diet Coke of evil."

"No, I mean..." Buffy began, but trailed off, shaking her head. "Did you get to use your wand today at all?"

"No," Dawn replied, making a face. "Umbridge wanted us to read, and the other classes didn't require any kind of wand work. I'll see if Hermione will be able to do a bit of a crash course in Charms or Transfiguration tonight so I have _some _idea of what I'm doing."

"Good plan," Buffy said. "Do you want to drop your stuff off before dinner? You still have time."

"That might be a good idea. Could you, um, show me the way?" Dawn asked, a little sheepishly. "I kind of forgot."

"I guess I was lucky – Quentin never let me out of his sight in the beginning," Buffy said with a shrug. "Even after I knew my way around, I always had someone with me, whether it be Quentin, Tom or the seventh years."

"Oh, Harry offered," Dawn said. "I just thought I'd be able to go it alone. Obviously, I was wrong. Well, more like I said something and bolted before he could ask me more about it."

"Ah. Yeah, that would do it," Buffy said as they trudged up the stairs. She grimaced. "This place really needs elevators."

"But that would mean making Hogwarts modern, which just simply wouldn't do," Dawn said with a snort. "I miss my CD player. And TV."

"Hey, at least your class at least knows what TV and computers are," Buffy said. "You have no idea how hard it is to keep computers, TV and any other modern Muggle technology out of regular conversation when talking to people sixty years in the past."

"Are we playing the 'My Time at Hogwarts Was Worse Than Yours' game?" Dawn asked. "Because if we are, you're gonna win."

"No," Buffy replied. They were nearly at the seventh floor by then, Dawn having been distracted by the conversation to really pay attention to what was going on. Damn. Maybe she should ask for a map.

"Hey, Buffy?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah?" Buffy replied as they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Do you know if they hand out maps?" Dawn asked. "I'd rather not keep getting lost if I can help it."

"Just stick with your friends and you'll be able to find your way around in no time," Buffy replied. Dawn pouted. "I'll leave you here. Say hi to everyone for me."

"Sure, will do," Dawn replied as she turned and gave the Fat Lady the password, slipping into the portrait hole before anyone could see her scrambling inside. Harry was nowhere to be seen, but Neville was seated in a corner of the room, reading a book before dinner. Making her way across the room, Dawn barrelled into the spot next to Neville, startling him.

"What the bloody hell d'you think you're trying to do? Make me piss myself?" Neville asked, his book dropping to the floor with a thump.

"Did it work?" Dawn asked cheekily.

"No," Neville replied, glowering at her. Dawn just snickered. "What?"

"Oh Neville, we really need to work on your scary face," Dawn said with a snort.

"You're in a chipper mood," Neville commented, bending to pick up his book from the floor. "Are you off the hook?"

"Nope," Dawn replied. "Detention for a week with Umbridge with Harry. And I ran into Malfoy on my way up. Nearly got myself hexed. If my sister didn't show up, I would have."

"Then why are you in such a good mood?" Neville asked.

"Would you prefer me to be sulky superbitch?" Dawn asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. "Because I could probably do that, if you want. It's not exactly fun, happy Dawnie, but I guess some guys like bratty, bitchy Dawn."

"No, no, no, that's all right," Neville said quickly. "I much prefer, er, fun, happy Dawnie."

"Good, because I kinda suck at being a superbitch," Dawn said with a shrug and a grin. Neville smiled back, which made Dawn's smile widen even more.

"Are you going to be coming down to dinner?" Neville asked.

"Rabid wolverines couldn't keep me away," Dawn replied. Neville just stared at her as if she were crazy, so Dawn tried to find something else to talk about. Quickly. She glanced at the book in Neville's hands, reading the title on the spine. "_Flesh Eating Trees of the World_? Where the hell would you get a book like that? And why is there more than one species of flesh eating tree? Or, for that matter, a whole book on them?"

"Well, you need to know what the trees look like so that when you stumble upon them so that you know to keep a wide berth," Neville replied.

"But why would someone breed a plant like that?" Dawn asked.

"Boredom. Curiosity. They needed something to guard the house and were allergic to dogs," Neville replied blandly. Dawn snorted. Neville looked down at Dawn's bag. "Are you going to take that up to your room?"

"Might be a good idea," Dawn replied. "I definitely want to get a head start on that homework after dinner, though. Don't want to get behind. Besides, this is homework I can actually do."

"You won't get behind," Neville reassured her. "Hermione's brilliant. She'll help you. I don't know how much I could do, but I'll help where I can."

"I hear you're awesome at Herbology," Dawn said. Neville ducked his head and blushed a little. Sighing, Dawn got to her feet, picking up her bag as she did so. "I'm just going to toss this onto my bed. I'll be right back."

Dawn bounded across the common room and up the girl's stairs, pushing the door open quietly. Hermione wasn't there, but the other two girls whose names Dawn didn't know were there. One was a blond-haired girl, and the other one looked like she could be from India.

"Hi," Dawn greeted, cautiously. One of these girls must have been the one slamming Harry last night. Which one, Dawn wasn't sure.

"You must be Dawn," the blonde said, smiling warmly at her. "I'm Lavender Brown, and this is my best friend, Parvati Patil."

"Yep, that's me, good ol' Dawnster," Dawn said with a shrug as she tossed her bag onto her bed.

"Hello," the other girl, Parvati, greeted with a wave.

"We were just heading down to dinner," Lavender said. "Do you want to sit with us?"

"Sorry, I already have plans," Dawn replied. "Thanks, though."

"Well, can't say we didn't try," Lavender said with a shrug to Parvati before they headed out of the dormitory and down the stairs. Dawn waited for a moment, puzzled, before she turned and followed, wondering what that was all about. Deciding not to dwell on it, she crossed the room to where she had left Neville, who stood when she approached.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Dawn replied. She grabbed Neville's arm, linking it with hers, before she realized that maybe she was going too far, crossing an imaginary line between friendship and something more that seemed to be blurred when it came to the Scoobies. "I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?"

"No, why?" Neville asked.

"Well, lots of people don't like physical contact, and sometimes I forget that," Dawn replied. She gestured to their linked arms. "Is this okay?"

"As long as you're not taking it any further than this, it's fine," Neville replied.

"That's a first," Dawn said with a snort.

"Don't get me wrong, you're a very pretty girl," Neville said. "But I'd rather not be hexed into next week."

"What're you talking about?" Dawn asked.

"You mean, you haven't noticed Harry glaring at us whenever we're together?" Neville asked. Dawn blinked dumbly at him. "Well, you'll see soon enough. Let's go down to dinner."

XOXOXO

Dawn telling Harry off that afternoon must have done something, because all he did was smile slightly at Dawn when he spotted her before going back to his dinner. Despite the fact that she kept stealing glances at him, there were no glares of death shot their way. When she called Neville on it, he merely claimed that because Harry was being watched, he was on his best behaviour. Dawn was certain it was because she had told him off earlier and he didn't want to incur her wrath again.

Homework had been completed, for the most part, before bed – Dawn had to check some dates on the goblin wars, and there was one thing on moonstones she wanted to be sure of before handing everything in. A quick trip to the library during lunch would fix that. She would have made plans for after dinner, but since she had detention she had no idea if she would have time for it.

The evening had been pretty perfect, but there was a feeling of foreboding as Dawn climbed into bed. She didn't know what it was, but something bad, or least not so great, was going to happen, and happen soon. Dawn tossed and turned as the rest of the girls in her dorm slept on – Hermione even snored a little – for about an hour before she headed down to the common room with a book, hoping that that would lull her back to sleep.

However, when she got downstairs, there was already somebody there. A bespectacled, messy-haired, green-eyed somebody.

"Hey you," she greeted, trying to stamp down on the butterflies in her stomach as she sat next to him on the sofa he'd claimed. "Can't sleep?"

"Ron and Neville are twin buzzsaws," Harry replied with a sigh. "What about you?"

"Something's bothering me. I just don't know what," Dawn replied. "And Hermione's snoring. Not loudly, just enough to keep me from falling asleep."

"Hermione snores?" Harry asked, a ghost of a grin on his face.

"Don't tell her I told you. I'll lose my best tutor," Dawn said. Harry laughed.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," Harry replied, pulling his fingers across his lips as if he were closing a zipper. "So, something bothering you. Would that something be that your sister used to date an evil dark wizard?"

"No," Dawn replied, shaking her head. "I'd be kind of bothered if someone she dated ended up being a nice, normal guy. Nearly all of the men in her life have ended up messed up in some way. But I don't wanna talk about my sister's love life. It's kinda depressing. Not to mention, a little weird."

"Then I know what we should talk about," Harry said seriously.

"Oh?" Dawn asked. She wasn't entirely sure she liked where this conversation was going.

"You said something," Harry said, shifting closer to Dawn as he licked his lips. "Something rather interesting."

"We don't need to talk about that," Dawn said, shifting away. "Really, we don't."

"I think we do," Harry replied. "Clear the air a little."

"Oh yeah?" Dawn asked. "What do you need to clarify? I said something pretty straightforward, no explanation needed really."

"But why did you say it?" Harry asked. Dawn chewed her lip, not wanting to answer. Harry sighed when all he was greeted with was silence. "It's the scar, isn't it? The fame that goes with it, the fact that I vanquished a Dark Lord when I was a year old."

"Hardly," Dawn replied with a snort. "To me, you're just Harry. Boy I met over the summer, not The Boy Who Lived. I didn't grow up knowing your name, I don't know your story. That scar is just a funny mark to me. Although, scars are kinda sexy."

"Then why do you think you don't have a chance with me?" Harry asked. "Do you think you're not good enough for me, or something?"

"Oh, I think I'm plenty good enough for you," Dawn replied. "But when the guy you like has his eye on someone else, it doesn't matter if you're good enough or not."

"How do you know I have my eye on someone else?" Harry asked.

"Please, I saw the same thing happen to Buffy and Xander," Dawn replied. "The roles might have been reversed, and I might have been ten at the time, but I knew what was going on. Xander had a crush on Buffy, who had a thing for Angel."

"So, you have a crush on me and you think I like someone else?" Harry asked. Dawn blushed, realizing how much she had revealed. Spike had always told her she was a crappy poker player, and now her entire hand was on the table. She was about to get cleaned out, she just knew it.

"I don't think," Dawn replied. "I know. Cho Chang. Ring a bell?"

"Oh, right," Harry said sheepishly.

"Yeah," Dawn said. "See why I think I've got, like, no chance?"

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Harry asked.

"You charmed it out of me," Dawn replied with a shrug. "And I'm hoping that this is all some messed up nightmare and that I'll wake up and it'll not be real."

"Oh yeah?" Harry asked. "Well, this must be a good dream for me, because most of my nightmares involve Voldemort. Or standing in front of girls in my underwear and then them laughing at me."

"Well, you're not in your underwear, and I'm not laughing," Dawn said with a shy smile. "Now, if this were your dream, how would it go?"

"Well, for one, we'd be sitting closer together," Harry replied, scooting down the couch so that they were so close they were nearly touching.

"Okay," Dawn said, settling down so that she was more comfortable. "What next?"

"Well, I'd probably put my arm around your shoulder, like this," Harry said, putting his arm loosely around her shoulders.

"And then?" Dawn asked, her voice quiet.

"Well, this is the point where I lean in to kiss the girl, but then I usually wake up," Harry whispered, leaning in a little closer.

"Well, I'm here, and you're not waking up," Dawn replied. "Do I usually star in these dreams?"

"Recently? Yes," Harry replied.

"How about we make that dream, come true?" Dawn asked with a smile. Harry smiled back as they leaned in, eyes fluttering closed. Their lips were just about to touch when there was a noise at the boy's staircase.

"Harry? Dawn?" Ron asked sleepily, yawning. "What are you doing down here?"

"You snore like a buzzsaw, apparently," Dawn retorted, turning to look at Ron. She had to resist the urge to glare at him – there's no way he could have known what he was walking in on.

"Ron, go back to bed. I'll be back up in a bit," Harry said reassuringly.

"'Kay," Ron said, his voice still sleepy as he turned and headed back up the stairs. Dawn made sure that Ron was out of earshot before she started giggling like crazy.

"Your friends have the worst timing ever," Dawn said through her giggles.

"Yeah, don't remind me," Harry replied, sulking a little.

"Cheer up," Dawn said, leaning over to kiss his cheek quickly. Harry, using reflexes honed from keeping an eye on a little, fast, golden balls, turned his head so that the kiss hit him on the lips. It was a quick kiss, no more than a peck, but it was enough to ignite some sparks.

"I think I'll definitely be cheering up," Harry said with a smile as Dawn got up from her seat.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Dawn said. Chewing on her lip, she made a snap decision and leaned in, kissing him one more time before turning and bounding up the girls' stairs, leaving Harry alone in the common room.

It wasn't until she got back to her room and under the covers that she realized she had left her book down in the common room.

XOXOXO

**Well, here's chapter 15. Yay. I know, a little out of character in some spots, especially Neville. Hope you all enjoyed it, though. Please let me know what you thought of it. Thanks for reading.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Breakfast in the Great Hall was a noisy affair, even from Buffy's vantage point at the High Table. The professors might be more subdued most of the time, but that didn't stop the noise from the House Tables to filter up to the front of the room. It was making it difficult for Buffy to concentrate on the lists in front of her.

Dumbledore had rigged the sign up sheets so that when a new name was added to the sheets in the common rooms, another list was created in Buffy's office so that she always had an idea of how many students she was going to have in her club. So far, there were over a dozen names each on the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor sheets, but none on Slytherin. There were a couple – probably first and second years – but their names had been crossed off soon afterwards. Buffy wasn't all that surprised – the old prejudices still ran rampant in the snake house. At least the other ones had cleaned up their acts.

"Are those your lists for your club?" Minerva asked, glancing over at the sheafs of parchment in front of her young friend.

"Yep," Buffy replied. "I don't know how I'm going to find a space big enough to keep everyone."

"Well, I think we have a couple of large lecture halls in the castle," Minerva replied. "I'm sure if you asked Professor Dumbledore, he would be able to suggest some places to hold your meetings."

"And if worse comes to worse, I can always split the classes up – third and below and fourth and above," Buffy said, examining her lists. "Or something like that."

"You might want to do it fourth and below," Minerva said, pointing. "You definitely have more older students than younger ones."

"Good point. Merlin, I'm so nervous," Buffy said, burrowing her face in her hands. She glanced at Minerva, who was smiling at her. "What?"

"You're reverting," Minerva replied. "It's amusing."

"Glad you think so," Buffy said with a groan.

"So, how are you enjoying the other half of your job?" Minerva asked.

"It hasn't been too busy yet," Buffy replied. "A couple of homesick first years. I had a meeting with one of the fourth years during lunch yesterday."

"Is anything the matter?" Minerva asked.

"No, everything is fine," Buffy replied. "The girl just so happened to make a comment that made Dawn worried, so I thought it would be a good idea to talk to her. We discussed it, no harm was meant by the comment and she went on her way."

"Well, I'm glad for that," Minerva said, before she got up. "I must go – early morning classes. Have a good day, Buffy."

"You too," Buffy said with a smile. As Minerva left, Buffy could feel the gaze of someone else on her. She looked up and met a pair of beady little toad eyes staring at her. Unnerved, Buffy got up from her seat and left the table, but if asked, she wasn't running away. Nope. She had to go and see Dumbledore, and the sooner she did, the better.

She was getting her bearings again, finding that she was able to find nearly everything quickly. Another few days and she'd be able to get around without getting lost. Most of the students hadn't left for classes yet, and so the hallways were quiet, a few stragglers heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. Buffy smiled at anyone she encountered, most of them smiling back but some of them scowling at her. The green and silver on their uniforms were a big enough hint as to why.

Just as she reached the twin gargoyles, they slid open to admit Dumbledore into the corridor. He turned and smiled at Buffy when he spotted her, approaching her when he realized she had come to see him.

"This is just like when I was a student," Buffy said with a grin. "You always opened the door before I could knock."

"What can I do for you, my dear?" Dumbledore asked.

"Do you have any rooms that will hold close to fifty people with enough room to practice spellcasting and muggle self-defence?" Buffy asked, waving the sheafs of parchment in emphasis. She saw that a couple more names had been added to the list, bringing up the total even more.

"I think there might be a couple of dungeons large enough," Dumbledore replied. "There's also the Great Hall. We could move the tables after dinner on the evenings you hold your meetings, and then move them back afterwards."

"That could work," Buffy said with a small nod. "I'll check out the dungeons today and see what we've got down there. I'll let you know what kinds of options I've worked out."

"Will you be joining me for breakfast?" Dumbledore asked.

"I already ate," Buffy replied. "A fed Slayer is a happy Slayer."

"Well, I shan't keep you, then," Dumbledore said. "I trust you can still find your way around the dungeons?"

"I think I can manage," Buffy replied.

"Have a good day, Buffy," Dumbledore said.

"You too, Professor," Buffy said. Dumbledore smiled at Buffy before he made his way down to the Great Hall. Buffy went back to her office, scrawled a quick note saying that she was going to be back in an hour or so, and headed down to the dungeons to see if there was anything to be seen.

The dungeons were just as Buffy remembered them – dark and dank. If someone dragged you down there, the only people who would hear you scream were the Slytherins, any they weren't really known to come rushing in to help when someone was in distress. Well, Tom would have come to her rescue, but only her and only because he had wanted to get on her good side.

At this time in the morning, the dungeons were all but deserted. The almost all of the Slytherins were at breakfast, and since it was still early even the keeners weren't making their way to classes yet. It almost reminded Buffy of the times she and Tom had spent the weekends and evenings studying in their little room, even when the weather had started to get better as exams had approached. At the time, Buffy had thought that he wanted to stay a pale, pasty freak. However, now that she really thought on it, she was pretty sure he was trying to protect her in his own weird way. The fact that they were seeing each other wasn't exactly a secret, but they hadn't spent any time with his Slytherin friends.

"You know, most people who snoop around in another's domain at least make an effort to be discreet about it."

Buffy jumped and whirled around, narrowing her eyes at the dark figure looming over her. Snape had found her poking around the dungeons and he didn't look too impressed with that discovery.

"I don't see your name on this dungeon, buster," Buffy retorted.

"That still doesn't explain why you're here, in the dungeons," Snape said, crossing his arms and levelling her with a glare. That expression might make first years pee their pants in fright, but Buffy was no ickle firstie. Spike on a bad day was scarier than this guy.

"I'm not a student, so I really don't need to justify myself to you," Buffy said, mimicking Snape's posture. "But since you asked _so nicely_, I'm gonna tell you anyway. Don't you feel so lucky?"

"Get on with it, Miss Summers," Snape said, waving his hand. "Unlike you, I have classes to teach."

"Ooh, burn on me, Surly Shorts," Buffy said sarcastically. "Anyway, I'm looking for some place to set up my club meetings and Dumbledore said I could probably find a place big enough down here."

"Ah, yes, your little club," Snape said with a sneer. "Do you honestly think you can prepare a load of clueless teenagers for the war we're on the brink of?"

"I can damn well try," Buffy replied. "If there's an expert on fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants battle, it's me."

"We'll see how you feel once one of your little pupils dies," Snape said.

"You think I've been living in a world of lollipops and cotton candy, where no one dies and everyone gets a happily ever after?" Buffy asked. Her voice was loud enough to echo against the stone, causing Buffy to flinch slightly. She lowered her voice so that it was barely a hiss. "Until you've walked a mile in my Jimmy Choos, you can't say a thing about what I've been through and how I'm going to react to the future."

Snape just stared at her for a few moments, scrutinizing her. Buffy couldn't, wouldn't back down. She'd faced down the Master. She'd faced down Angelus. She'd faced down Glory. She'd faced down The First. There was no way in hell this greasy-haired king of the goths was going to have her quivering in her stylish but practical boots.

The stare down lasted until the bell for the first classes rang. The sounds of footsteps thundered faintly above, and Buffy was sure they would be surrounded by students before too long. Snape sneered at her one last time before turning and stalking down the corridor to his classroom, his robes billowing rather impressively. When she heard the sound of a door slamming, she snorted and shook her head.

"Slytherins," she muttered to herself as she turned and left, finding herself fighting against the current of first year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws heading to Snape's classroom. She felt bad for the little ones – if she'd known the first class was first years, she wouldn't have baited Snape. She'd heard from the kids that he was nasty enough without being poked, prodded and annoyed by a perky blonde American.

If any of them came to her office crying, she'd apologize long and profusely for putting them through that.

She explored the dungeons a little more, not going too deep, and found a room that could probably work. She made a note of it before heading back to her office, wanting to finalize her lesson plans for the first club meeting. She only had a couple of days before she was in front of the kids, lecturing, and she wanted to make sure that she had everything in place.

She checked the box by her office door for messages – nothing. Surprise, surprise. Then again, it was also early in the day and early in the school year. There was still time for the older students to get used to her presence, and the younger ones to get comfortable enough to come and see her with their problems. It gave her more time to read, in any event.

She was doing precisely that when someone knocked on her door at about half past ten. Buffy placed a marker in her book – _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ – and got up to answer the door. She was surprised to see Neville standing there, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Hello," she greeted with a smile.

"'Lo, Miss Summers," Neville greeted back, sounding a little miserable.

"I'm just going to ignore the fact that you should probably be in class and let you come in," Buffy said, waving him into the office and closing the door behind them.

"It's morning break," Neville replied. "I have Transfiguration in about twenty minutes, but I was hoping to talk to you before then."

"Well, what do you want to talk about?" Buffy asked as she gestured to the chairs by the fire. Neville took the one on the left, leaving Buffy to curl up in the love seat across from him.

"Anything," Neville replied. "Everything."

"Well, whenever you're ready," Buffy replied. "Unless you say something that makes me think you're a risk to yourself or others, or if you admit to a crime or rule breaking, anything you say in this room stays in this room."

"Okay," Neville said with a deep breath. There were a few moments of dead silence before Neville opened his mouth and started to talk. About everything and anything that came to mind. His parents, his grandparents, school work, his fear of Snape, his friendships with the boys in his dormitory, his friendship with Dawn, his fears of inadequacy. When the bell rang for the next class, Buffy made no indication that she was going to make him stop. She had a feeling that he'd never had anyone to just sit and listen, and she was willing to give that to him. It was over half an hour before he ran out of steam, and when he collapsed back in his chair, deflated, Buffy smiled at him.

"Feel better?" Buffy asked. Neville looked as if a gigantic weight had been taken off of his shoulders.

"Yes," Neville replied. His smile got about halfway before he glanced at the clock. "Oh bollocks, I'm late for Transfiguration!"

"I might be American, and it might have been a while since I've been in the country, but I still know the meaning of that word," Buffy said. The terrified look on Neville's face was almost enough to make Buffy burst out laughing. As it was, she had to disguise an escaped giggle as a cough.

"Only joking," she said. "You're not going to get in trouble from me for that kind of language in here."

"Oh, good," Neville said, deflating again in relief.

"But you might still get in trouble," Buffy said as she got up from her seat and headed to her desk. "Thankfully, I've got some of these nifty passes that'll hopefully keep Professor McGonagall off your back. Here."

"Thanks for listening," Neville said as he took the pass. "I really appreciate it."

"Hey, if that's all people use me for, I'm happy," Buffy replied. "Now go. Go forth and transfigure stuff."

Neville just smiled at her one last time before he turned and left the office, clutching the note that should prevent him from having points taken away.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful – Buffy read, listened to a few homesick kids and put the finishing touches on her curriculum. Dawn hadn't been to see her at all, but Buffy supposed that between classes, homework and her detentions, they wouldn't see each other for at least a week. Which was fine for Buffy – Dawn needed to branch out and make her own friends, and it would be good for Buffy to spend some time with the grown-ups.

Even if the only so-called grown up who was even remotely close to her age was a thirty-something greasy Slytherin with an attitude problem.

Dinner was uneventful – Umbridge, Dawn and Harry were absent, probably because of the detention. No one caused a fuss and it wasn't long before Buffy was back in her office. She missed television and movies, although the moving pictures in the books she was reading, even the illustrations, made for a little more entertainment. She flipped open _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ again, finally on the chapters detailing Voldemort's rise and fall. It was difficult for her to read, but she knew it was something she needed to know. The book had nothing on Tom's early life or his years at Hogwarts, just after he had transformed and had resurfaced as Lord Voldemort. There were few pictures, and none of them resembled the handsome boy she had fallen hard for.

At least no one at the world at large would be able to connect her with him. Even if they could connect a Buffy Summers to him when he had been at Hogwarts, they would probably assume she was McGonagall's age.

A knock sounded at about seven-thirty, startling Buffy from her thoughts. Shaking her head, she focused her attention to the door. "Come in."

The door creaked open and Minerva poked her head in, a smile gracing her face when she saw Buffy sitting at her desk. "Good, you're here."

"Where else would I be?" Buffy asked.

"Staffroom, library, Albus' office," Minerva replied as she entered the office fully, closing the door behind her. "The dungeons. You did seem to like spending time down there."

"It was the company, not the location," Buffy replied. "If Tom hadn't insisted on staying a pale, pasty freak we would have been outside much more often."

"That is true," Minerva said, nodding slightly. She sat down in one of the chairs next to the fire and, after she placed a marker in her book, Buffy joined her. "What are you reading?"

"_Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts,_" Buffy replied. "Thought I'd bone up on my history. I missed a lot."

"You did," Minerva said. "I heard you had a little run-in with Severus today."

"Seriously, do the walls have eyes and ears or something?" Buffy asked with an exasperated sigh. She'd never remembered Minerva to be this big of a gossip. The only people she'd seen down in the dungeons were the first years, and they'd come down there after Snape had stormed off.

"No," Minerva replied with a chuckle. "I heard Severus muttering to himself about annoying, blonde American girls snooping where they shouldn't."

"His name wasn't on the dungeon, so I don't see it as snooping," Buffy said with a shrug. "And would it kill him to crack a smile? Like, seriously?"

"Severus smiling is one of the signs of the apocalypse," Minerva said sagely.

"Yeah, you might be right," Buffy replied with a smile. It wasn't long before the two of them were giggling like a couple of schoolgirls.

They chatted for a while longer about anything and everything, keeping the discussion light. It was almost time for curfew, which meant that it was almost time for Minerva to do a little patrolling when Buffy's office door banged open. Dawn came barrelling in, Harry on tow, her blue eyes blazing with rage and half-glazed in pain.

"Buffy!" she exclaimed.

"Dawn, what's wrong?" Buffy asked.

"That evil, demonic _toad,_ that's what's wrong!" Dawn exclaimed. Minerva cleared her throat and Dawn jumped; she obviously hadn't seen her Head of House sitting with her sister. "Oh, um, hi Professor."

"Hello Miss Summers, Mr. Potter," Minerva greeted.

"Hello, Professor," Harry greeted.

"So, Professor Umbridge," Buffy said. "What did she do?"

"This!" Dawn replied, thrusting her right hand forward. There was a faint, red outline of a phrase on Dawn's hand, as if someone had scratched it onto her hand. It looked like it could be painful. It was also in Dawn's handwriting. "_I must not tell lies_?"

"Harry's got the same," Dawn replied. "Come on, Har, show them."

Reluctantly, Harry showed his hand and, sure enough, he had the words _I must not tell lies _etched into the back of his hand. Buffy dropped Dawn's hand and before anyone could stop her, she was out the door and striding down the corridor, heading to the Defence Against the Dark Arts wing.

"Buffy, wait!" Minerva exclaimed, moving down the hallway at a pretty fast clip for someone her age. She was able to catch up to Buffy and put a hand on her arm, stopping her.

"What?" Buffy asked, her eyes flashing.

"Think about what you're doing," Minerva said. "Tread lightly with this woman. She has the power to make your life very difficult."

"So using transfiguration as a punishment is totally wrong, but torture is kosher?" Buffy asked. Minerva looked at her, surprised. "Yeah, I know the word kosher. Jewish best friend here."

"No, not that. How did you know about the transfiguration?" Minerva asked.

"I spent the summer with him," Buffy replied, pointing to Harry. "You really think they'd keep the story of 'Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret' to themselves? Especially after I ran into him and Malfoy Senior in Diagon Alley when I went shopping with Dawn."

"You have a point," Minerva said. "But you can't go threatening Delores Umbridge. She's very powerful in the Ministry and has friends in high places."

"And probably some low ones, too," Buffy said with a snort. "And who said anything about threatening? I'm just going to go in there, have a little chat. And if she ends up peeing herself in fear, well, that's not my fault, is it?"

"You will _not _make her 'pee herself' in fear," Minerva said sternly.

"Okay, fine," Buffy said with a sigh. "I'll tone it down so that it's more concerned parent than pissed off slayer. Happy?"

"Yes," Minerva replied.

"If you want, you can stand outside the door and listen," Buffy replied. "If I go to far, you'll be there to pull me off of her."

"That makes me feel so much better," Minerva said sarcastically. Buffy just laughed and headed up to the Defence Against the Dark Arts office, where she assumed the detention had taken place and Professor Umbridge was still located.

She pushed the door open, not even bothering to knock, and was assaulted by lots of pink, lots of frills, and far too many decorative plates with kittens on them. Buffy wasn't entirely sure what Professor Umbridge was going for, but if she was going for friendly and harmless, this wasn't the way to go.

"You know, people in polite society knock before entering," Professor Umbridge said sweetly from behind her desk. There was a table and two chairs in front of her, probably where Dawn and Harry had been sitting for the last few hours. She looked at the table – no blood. That meant that they hadn't bled. This time, anyway.

"Well, politeness kind of went out the window when you decided to torture my little sister," Buffy replied. "You know, most people who do that kind of stuff make sure there's no external proof."

Umbridge looked at Buffy for a few moments, blinking at her. Then she did something that Buffy never would have expected. She _giggled_.

"Oh Miss Summers, I think I can see where your sister gets her imagination," Umbridge said, her voice migraine-sweet. "I only had her and Mr. Potter here to write lines."

"Lines that etched _I must not tell lies _into their hands?" Buffy asked.

"You sister seems to be the kind of child who will do anything for attention," Umbridge said. "Are you sure I'm the one you should be talking to?"

"Okay, I know you didn't just imply my sister did that to herself," Buffy said.

"It probably wouldn't be the first time," Umbridge said. She began shuffling the papers on her desk, as if she hadn't just dropped a bomb of atomic proportions. Buffy was about to lunge at her when Minerva poked her head into the office.

"Miss Summers, there you are!" she said. "I'm sorry Delores, but may I borrow Buffy for a few moments?"

"We were just finishing up," Umbridge replied.

"Good," Minerva said, reaching over and grabbing Buffy's arm, tugging her from the room. "I have something I need to discuss with you. It's quite urgent."

"Oh, Miss Summers, before you go," Umbridge said as Minerva practically dragged her out of the room. Both former Gryffindors stopped. "You may wish to be a little more careful about where you tread here. You may find that some of your more... unsavoury... past adventures leak out."

"Are you blackmailing me?" Buffy asked. She glanced at Minerva before turning back to Umbridge. "Again with the amateur act. You don't do this in front of witnesses."

"Let's _go_," Minerva said, giving one final tug before she was able to pull Buffy out of the office and slam the door behind them. Buffy wouldn't have been surprised if there had been evil, cackling laughter coming from from the office. She was more surprised that all she heard was dead silence.

It wasn't until they were well away from Umbridge's office before Buffy spoke again. She pulled out her best pout and used it on Minerva. "Are you _sure _she's not part demon or something else I could use my favourite battle axe on?"

"No, Buffy."

"Damn."

**XOXOXO**

**Yes, I know I only covered a day. Yes, I know that not a lot of stuff happened. Yes, I know there wasn't any Voldemort. Get over it.**

**Next chapter should have the first club meeting and some Voldemort. Stay tuned.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

_The cemetery was dark and misty. Even with her Slayer sense, Buffy couldn't see or hear more than five feet around her. She whirled around, trying to see, hear or sense anything – all she could see were the vague outlines of tombstones, crumbling and unreadable with age. She sensed nothing, no one. A chill breeze whipped her white dress around her knees, but she did not shiver._

_It made her uneasy._

_A twig snapped behind her. She whirled around again, and it seemed to take forever, as if she were submerged in water. The figure who stood behind her was a man, tall, dark-haired and pale._

_"Tom," Buffy breathed. She ran to him, her feet pounding against the dirt. No matter how fast she ran, she couldn't get closer. He stayed the same distance away, forever out of her grasp._

_"Faster, run faster, my love," Tom called out, his voice raspy, hissing. Buffy ran harder, faster than she ever had before. She was finally gaining ground, getting closer and closer. As she did, Tom began to morph, growing more and more hideous and snake-like the closer she got._

_"No," Buffy said, tears starting to well up in her eyes. She tried to stop running, but her feet had minds of their own, propelling her forwards into Voldemort's arms. "No!"_

**XOXOXO**

"NO!"

Buffy shot up in bed, sweating and panting, as if she had run a marathon. The last thing she remembered before waking up were scarlet, reptilian eyes. She untangled herself from her bedsheets and got up, knowing, somehow, that even though it was five in the morning, she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. She began pacing, playing with her charm bracelet, thankful for the rug next to the bed. She'd always hated walking around her dorm barefoot, and even now that she was older, that dislike had never gone away.

This hadn't been her first dream about Tom, or about Voldemort, and it probably wouldn't be her last. They were all the same – she would be doing something with Tom, reminding her of what they had had or how they had been, and then he would turn into a hideous, snake-faced monster with those scarlet, reptilian eyes.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what they meant. After Angel had transformed into Angelus, and after she had sent him through that portal, she had had the same kind of dreams. It didn't stop them from being disturbing as all hell, causing her to lose sleep.

Deciding that pacing was going to get he nowhere, Buffy grabbed some clothes, including a set of green robes and headed to her bathroom, stripping down and hopping into the hottest shower she could handle, scrubbing herself down, taking her time before she got out, drying herself off and getting dressed. Most witches would cast a Drying Charm on their hair, but with Buffy's history with Charms, having her wand anywhere near her hair was not a good idea. So, instead, she pulled her hair back into a bun. After fixing her make-up, Buffy realized that it wasn't even six o'clock. Breakfast wasn't going to even be served for another hour.

_Crap, _Buffy thought. _Well, I guess it's time for me to get really reacquainted with the school, then_.

With that thought in mind, Buffy slipped on her robes and tucked her wand up her sleeve and a knife into her boot before she headed out, yawning slightly. This was definitely going to be a coffee fuelled day if she was going to get through it. It was also the first defence club meeting, down in the dungeons, and she was more than a little nervous about that.

She hadn't gotten far when a door to her left open and a black-clad arm shot out and grabbed her, dragging her into the unused classroom. She fought hard until a hand was clamped over her mouth and a pair of black eyes and a large, beaky nose came into her immediate vision.

Snape.

"God, what the hell is it with you Slytherins and grabbing unsuspecting girls when they're walking down deserted hallways?" Buffy asked after she had wrenched Snape's hand from her mouth. "I'm going to do some serious damage one of these days."

"Shut up, you silly girl, and listen to your elders for once," Snape said with a sneer.

"You know, technically, I'm old enough to be your grandma," Buffy shot back with a snort, before remembering that Snape, like most of the members of the Order, didn't know that she had gone to school with Tom Riddle. Snape narrowed his eyes at her. "Oops."

"Yes, as I found out rather unceremoniously last night," Snape said.

"You... you're one of those guys, right?" Buffy asked. "Death Feeders?"

"Death Eater," Snape said. "And yes. But if you breathe a word of it to _anyone _and I'll make sure you'll regret it."

"Blab your secrets and die a slow, painful death. Gotcha," Buffy said with a quick nod. "So, information bombshell about me got dropped? Are you going to give me details, or is this going to be a guessing game?"

"There was a meeting, last night," Snape said. "You were mentioned."

"I'm guessing this wasn't an Order meeting?" Buffy asked. "And are you sure it's safe to be talking about this stuff here? 'Cause, you know, this castle doesn't have the best soundproofing."

"There's a sensing charm on the corridor outside and a muffling charm on the room," Snape replied. "How else do you think I knew you were coming when I did?"

"You're a creepy stalker guy and watched me from a crack in the door?" Buffy asked. Snape glared at her. "Okay, fine, I'll stop it with the jokes. You were saying?"

"He Who Must Not Be Named seemed to be very interested, very fixated on you," Snape said. "Do you know why that might be?"

"Stop dancing around it and just get to the point, please," Buffy replied. "Or you're going to find my knee in a rather sensitive area."

"You had a previous liaison with He Who Must Not Be Named," Snape said. "Why did you not feel this was pertinent information? And perhaps you could explain to me how you're so well-preserved, when you should look more like McGonagall."

"Would you have believed me if I told you?" Buffy asked. "Would you have believed me if I had told you I had been thrown back in time when I was seventeen years old, struck up friendships with Minerva McGonagall, Quentin Trimble, Terrence Longbottom and Augusta Smith? Would it have seemed possible that yes, I had fallen in love with Tom Marvolo Riddle, who would eventually become Voldemort, and that he loved me back? Would it be even feasible that, right after I had finished my exams and right before I was going to spend my summer with the Smith, McGonagall and Longbottom families, I was kidnapped by Abraxas-flipping-Malfoy and tossed into a portal because Riddle was changing too much to the good? I'm sorry if I wanted to be judged by my merits and not by the fact that I had swapped spit with the darkest Dark Lord of the wizading world. Is that a good enough reason for you, or do you need more? Because I've got more."

Snape was silent for a few moments. Too long. Buffy was about to open her mouth to say something when Snape covered it again, his eyes narrowed.

"There's someone in the corridor," he whispered. "Do be quiet."

Buffy listened and, sure enough, she heard footsteps in the corridor, the sharp click-clack of quick footsteps in hard-soled shoes. They passed without incident as both occupants in the room visibly relaxed and Snape removed his hand from Buffy's mouth.

"Bet you a Galleon that was Umbridge," Buffy said with a snort. Snape looked less than impressed. "Okay, fine, no bets. Probably because you know I'm right. So, what did ol' Tommy-Boy say about me?"

"He doesn't think that having a Slayer, especially an aged Slayer, would be of any help to Dumbledore in the long run," Snape said.

"So he still thinks I'm old a pruny," Buffy said. "Good."

"He did," Snape said. "Before Lucius Malfoy spoke and said that he had had an encounter with you. The Dark Lord used Occlumency to see the interactions through Malfoy's eyes."

"So now he knows I'm still young, pretty and can still kick ass," Buffy said. "Um, yay?"

"He knows you are here," Snape said. "He knows you are the woman he knew when he was in school. He knows that you are still young and relatively unaged. He will stop at nothing until he is in possession of you again."

"Aww, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you cared, Snapey, warning me about old Voldyshorts," Buffy cooed. Snape scowled at her.

"It is not so much care for your person as an attempt to ensure that what few Order members we have remain out of You Know Who's clutches," Shape said. "Watch yourself, Miss Summers."

"I think I can handle myself against a crazy old man with a magic stick," Buffy said with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm sure he'd be most impressed with being called a crazy old man with a magic stick," Snape said sarcastically.

"He always did like my sense of humour," Buffy said with a shrug.

"And on that disturbing note, I am going to take my leave," Snape said, moving to leave the room. "Take care, Miss Summers."

"You too, Professor Snape," Buffy said, watching him leave. She waited a few moments before she, too, left, her grumbling stomach making her hope that there were at least munchies set out on the table at breakfast. And coffee. It was too early to be dealing with this kind of stuff without coffee.

For the rest of her day, Buffy was in a bit of a fog. She couldn't keep her thoughts away from her dreams or what Snape had said. No one had come for a drop in and Buffy had no appointments, so the only things she had to keep her mind busy were her books, and she was drawn to the modern history books. Willow would be proud of her, hitting the books so hard. A pang hit Buffy when she thought of Willow – it was the first time in a while that she had thought of anyone. She hadn't written to Giles, either, and she felt a little guilty for letting that slide. Knowing that it would distract her for a little while, she grabbed a piece of parchment, a quill and a bottle of purple ink before she set about writing a note to her former Watcher.

_Dear Giles,_

_I'm sorry I haven't written to you yet – things have been so crazy that I haven't had time! Dawn and I have settled in at Hogwarts pretty well. She's making friends and I'm reconnecting with my old ones. It's so strange seeing Dawn making friends and being happy. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome, but just... strange. After being on the Hellmouth for so long and having Dawn around me and the rest of the gang, it's a little weird seeing her with people her own age who aren't Potentials. Minerva's the Deputy Head and Transfiguration Professor, so it's nice to have a familiar face around. It sucks a little that the closest people to my age are the seventh years. The youngest professor is closing in on forty and has a permanent scowl on his face. I wonder if one of the signs of the apocalypse is Professor Snape smiling? Ha ha ha._

_It's the first meeting of my Defence Against the Dark Arts club tonight, and I'm a little nervous. There are so many kids who wanted to take my class – their Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers have all been duds, except for one. I scouted out a nice, cushy dungeon that's large enough to house everyone, and the House Elves have instructions to have mats put down for the classes so no kids get broken when they get knocked down. I doubt we're going to have any of that tonight, just an introductory thing about what to expect, but it'll be good to have everything in place. Thanks for the books, by the way. They'll really come in handy._

_Did you know that they knew about Willow nearly ending the world out here? Yeah, Dumbledore had to keep it pretty hush-hush to keep the papers out of it. Crazy how the things we do end up reaching further than we ever imagined, huh?_

_But enough about me. How are you? How's the Council? Have you heard from Willow or Xander at all? Or Robin and Faith? If you do, send them my love. I love being at Hogwarts again, but I miss them. Maybe I'll come and visit around Christmas time._

_Hope all is well with you. I'll have to figure out how you can get a hold of me on short notice. Maybe I'll talk to Dumbledore about getting you connected to the Floo network. Yeah, they travel and communicate by fire. Weird, huh?_

_Hope to hear from you soon,_

_Buffy._

_PS: I'm going to tell the owl to stick around until you've got a reply for me, because if he doesn't you'll have no way to get back to me. Just feed him table scraps and he'll be happy. They used to like stealing my cereal when I was a student._

She read the letter one last time, making sure that there was nothing confidential about the Order, before she sealed and addressed it. She scribbled another quick note to stick on her door before she set out to the Owlry, letter clutched in her hand. She'd only been up to the Owlry once, when she had been a student. Quentin needed to send a letter to his mother and Buffy had decided to tag along to see more of the school. She just hoped that one trip was enough to remember the way. The last thing she wanted was running into Snape, again, and having to ask him for directions. Or Umbridge. She'd rather wander around the castle, lost, than ask that woman how to get somewhere.

She ended up finding the Owlry with no issues, and as soon as she entered an owl swooped down and landed on a perch closer to her, his leg out for the letter.

"Hello, boy," Buffy said, petting the owl for a moment before she tied the letter to his leg. "This goes to Rupert Giles. Make sure you drop it off at his house and not at the Watcher's Council, okay? Check back every day to see if he's got a reply for me. I told him to feed you."

After a happy hoot, Mercury flew up to the top of the tower and swooped out of one of the high windows, heading to Giles' home. She waited for a few minutes before she headed back to her office, wanting to use the rest of the afternoon to make some last-minute preparations for the meeting. She headed down to the dungeons immediately after dinner, and it wasn't long before the students started trickling in, first the mid-grade students, looking eager, then the lower grades, looking nervous, and finally the older students, strolling in confidently. A few of them smiled and waved at her, like the Weasleys, Hermione and Neville, but she knew Dawn and Harry weren't going to be there, thanks to the evil troll. Buffy tried to keep count of everyone, but after about fifty she gave up. She was definitely going to have to split the students. More busy evenings for her, but she didn't mind. It wasn't like she needed her evenings to grade essays or anything like that.

"So, um, hi everyone," Buffy said, waving weakly. Nearly two hundred pairs of eyes snapped at attention, focused on her. "So, um, everyone grab a mat to sit on. You might have to share, because I don't think there's enough for everyone."

There was some shuffling as everyone tried to find a mat to sit on. The younger students were able to cram three to a mat, while the older ones sat two or one. There was a pretty even smattering of all the houses, judging by the tie colours she could see. Once everyone was settled, Buffy cleared her throat.

"So, hi everyone," she said again, her voice a little clearer, a little stronger. "For those of you who have been living under a rock, I'm Buffy Summers, the school guidance counsellor. Since I'm not technically a professor, you can call me Miss Summers. Or Buffy. Whichever you're comfortable with. Professor Dumbledore asked me to put this club together because I have some unique experience in the field of Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"What kind of experience?" a boy, about three rows back, asked. He had a bit of an underbite and a large chin, and he was wearing a yellow and black tie. Hufflepuff.

"More experience than you," one of the Weasley twins shot back from the back of the room. "Shut your gob, you wanker."

"Much as I appreciate the vote of confidence, guys, I hear that kind of language coming from your mouths again and I'm going to have to take points," Buffy said, although she mouthed 'thank you' to the twin who had stood up for her. He just saluted and settled back down. The boy who had been insulted just scowled and crossed his arms. "Okay then. I'm going to tell you now, I learned a different way of defending myself. I didn't use a wand. Even after I learned magic, I still didn't use my wand that often."

There were gasps and murmurs around the room. Buffy let it go on for a few moments before she called their attention back to her.

"But just because I wasn't using a wand, it didn't mean I was defenceless," Buffy said. "What I'm hoping to do with this class is teach you how to fight both with and without your wand, and to use muggle self-defence methods to avoid getting hit by spells in a duel. As well, I'm going to teach you about different kinds of demons and dark creatures that you might not have covered in your regular classes."

"Where would we use this kind of defence?" the Hufflepuff boy with the jaw asked.

"What's your name?" Buffy asked.

"Justin Finch-Fletchly," the boy, Justin, said.

"Well, Justin, say you're walking around muggle London at night," Buffy said. "It's dark, it's late and you're alone. A mugger comes up with a knife and demands your wallet or he's going to stab you. What do you do?"

"A quick _Stupefy _to stun him and then I'd run," Justin said.

"But you're in _muggle_ London," Buffy reminded him. "No magic allowed."

"I-I don't know what I'd do," Justin stammered.

"Exactly," Buffy said. "When you're in a fight to the death, things aren't neat and clean, taking turns. They're quick and dirty. I'm here to teach you things that will help you survive if you're ever in that kind of situation. So, any questions so far?"

"But why learn this?" asked a curly haired girl near the back, blue and bronze emblem on her robes. "What's the point?"

"I'm teaching you this stuff in the hopes that you don't need it, but if you do, you have the skills needed to get out of the situation," Buffy replied.

"So this has nothing to do with You Know Who coming back?" the girl asked. There were whispers all through the room.

"No," Buffy replied. "It's an extra credit club that covers things that are outside of the regular curriculum because they aren't deemed common enough to study. Think of it as... a year-long extra credit project."

"Will we be getting extra credit?" the girl asked.

"What's your name?" Buffy asked.

"Marietta Edgecomb," the girl replied.

"I thought that the knowledge would be enough, but if it means that much to you I'll see about getting extra credit for you guys," Buffy said, knowing that, given the option, Professor Umbridge would be more likely to shut the whole thing down rather than give extra credit for it.

The meeting didn't last much longer. Buffy made a snap decision to split the classes up – fourth years and below on Mondays and Thursdays and fifth years and above on Tuesdays and Fridays. She also said that even if they couldn't make both weekly meetings, it was perfectly fine to come to only one. With one last announcement that the regular meetings would start next week, she dismissed the students, waiting until the very last straggler left before leaving herself, heading back up to her office. When she got there, Harry and Dawn were already there, sitting on the couch.

"Buffy, tell this idiot that we need to go to Dumbledore," Dawn said, not even letting Buffy say hello. "Now."

"Why do we need to be going to Dumbledore now?" Buffy asked.

"That evil toad bitch has gone too far!" Dawn exclaimed. "I thought okay, we can deal with writing lines with that stupid quill because my hand kept healing, but look what happened tonight."

She grabbed Harry's hand and showed Buffy the still-bleeding wound – _I must not tell lies._ Buffy didn't get a very good look at it because Harry wrenched his hand away, hiding it.

"Mine's not much better," Dawn continued. "_And _she said we still have to come back tomorrow night. That's not even the half of it, though. Harry passed out and had a vision. Umbridge still wouldn't let us go to the hospital wing, even though Harry was passed out. Said we were just proving her right."

"What was the vision about?" Buffy asked.

"You Know Who knows you're here and he's trying to figure out a way to get you," Harry replied.

"Snape told me as much this morning," Buffy said. "But the big question is... we're not going to Dumbledore _why_?"

"He's not going to care," Harry said. "He's been ignoring me since I was at headquarters, He won't even meet my eyes or anything! It's like I don't even exist."

Buffy chewed on he lip, debating with herself whether or not to say anything. She, of course, knew exactly why Dumbledore wasn't having anything to do with Harry, but it wasn't really something she could divulge.

"He cares. He more than cares," Buffy said. "He really should know what's going on. I mean, if my students were being tortured, I'd want to know."

"It's not a big deal," Harry said.

"Uh Har, she made you bleed," Dawn said. "Teacher makes you bleed and you say it's not a big deal? Um, no. Sorry. We're going to Dumbledore if we have to drag you kicking and screaming. Buffy, back me up here."

"You've got my vote," Buffy said. "To Dumbledore's office we go!"

Harry grumbled under his breath about meddling Americans who should really mind their own business. Dawn turned and smacked him, lightly, on the head.

"You're damn right I'm going to meddle," she said. "I'm Dawn, queen of the meddlers. It's my job to poke, prod, annoy and generally meddle in the lives of the people I care about."

"Fine, fine," Harry said, sheepishly. "It's just a little to get used to."

"As much as I love seeing my little sister bond with people with destiny, you guys are bleeding on the floor. We should probably get you guys to Dumbledore's office. I think I have some handkerchiefs or something so that you're not dripping or anything."

Buffy rummaged around in the drawers of her desk and found two handkerchiefs, like she had thought, and handed one to each teenager before ushering them from the office and herding them to Dumbledore's office. The walk was quiet and it wasn't long before they were travelling up the moving staircase. Buffy knocked on the door and, within moments, Dumbledore pulled it open, a pleasantly surprised expression on his face.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked.

"You know, you being surprised at this really ruins you omniscient reputation," Buffy said. "Unfortunately, this isn't a social visit."

"Oooh, you used a three syllable word," Dawn teased. "Giles would be so proud."

"Shut up, Dawn," Buffy said with a roll of her eyes. "Can we come in, please?"

"Of course, of course, come in," Dumbledore said, stepping back so that Buffy, Dawn and Harry could enter. He closed the door behind them and gestured to the chairs in front of the fire. "Can I get you anything? I can have the house elves bring up some tea."

"We're not going to be long," Buffy said. "Dawn and Harry have something they need to show you."

Dawn immediately thrust her hand forward; the wounds were still red and angry, but at least they weren't seeping blood anymore. When Harry was reluctant to show his, Dawn elbowed him in the ribs before physically grabbing his hand so that Dumbledore could see it.

"Where did you acquire these injuries?" he asked, examining the hands. He didn't look anyone in the eye, but especially not Harry.

"Professor Umbridge has this quill that etches the words into your hand when you write with it," Dawn said. "She's got at least two of them, because Harry and I both got one."

"I will do everything I can to look into this," Dumbledore said, dropping the hands. "It would be best for you to soak your hands in Murtlap essence to minimize the scaring. You may go."

Dawn's jaw dropped in outrage, but before she could blow up at Dumbledore Buffy shot her a pointed look and nodded towards the door. With one last poisonous glare, Dawn grabbed Harry by the hand and dragged him down the stairs, leaving Buffy and Dumbledore in the office, alone. Buffy made sure that the kids were well and gone before she turned on Dumbledore, her eyes flashing.

"What the hell kind of school are you running here, Dumbledore?" Buffy asked, her voice low. "Your students are being tortured and all you're going to say is you're going to look into it? Really? Is that an empty promise or are you really going to confront that evil toad and call her out about what she's doing?"

"You must understand the situation I'm in, Buffy," Dumbledore said gently. "If I were to confront Delores Umbridge about her methods, she has the power to have me removed from the school. Hogwarts needs me here, much like it needs you here. If either of us end up being removed because of her wishes, the school could be left in ruin."

"So that's it?" Buffy asked. "You're going to go ahead and let her torture students, _children_, so that you can stay here? Great headmastering, there. Are you even going to _mention _to her that what she's doing is evil and wrong?"

"I will mention to Delores that she might want to find alternate methods of punishment, as parents may not want their children to come home with words carved into their hands," Dumbledore replied. "Is there anything else you wished to speak to me about?"

"Actually, while I've got you here, yeah, I do," Buffy replied. "That whole avoiding Harry thing? It's going to blow up in his face. He didn't even want to come up here because he thinks you're acting like he doesn't exist. Which, seeing as how you're reacting now, I can kind of see his reluctance now."

"It's for the best of everyone," Dumbledore said gravely.

"Best for everyone?" Buffy asked. "Is this one of those "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" kind of deal? Because I gotta say, it's a sucky deal."

"That's a rather apt way to put it," Dumbledore said.

"I'm blaming Andrew and the constant stream of Star Trek in the background in Sunnydale," Buffy said. "But that's not the point. The point is, that kid looks up to you, looks to you to guidance and you completely ignoring him is killing him. I've only known him for a month and I can already tell that he's had a crappy deal in life. If he at least knew why you weren't looking him in the eye, it might not kill him so much."

"I can't do that to him," Dumbledore said. "He has enough to worry about. He doesn't need to be constantly aware of his connection with Voldemort."

"He's already aware of it," Buffy said. "Constantly. He's having visions in the middle of detention. He's having dreams about what's going on. He should know what it is so that he can learn to fight it off."

"If Harry knows that he is bonded mentally with Voldemort, it may carry through to him and he would be able to manipulate it to his advantage," Dumbledore said. "Buffy, I beg you, please don't tell Harry any of this. He needs to be a normal teenager for a little while longer."

"I'll do what you say," Buffy said, turning to leave. She looked over her shoulder. "But I'm going to love telling you "I told you so" when this blows up in your face."

Buffy turned and left, storming down the stairs, leaving a bewildered Dumbledore in her wake.

**XOXOXO**

**So, not as much direct Voldemort as I promised, but there's a mention of him. So... yay? But the Buffy/Snape scene was a lot of fun to write – I just hope I'm doing his character justice.**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Ron gripped the letter from Percy tightly in his fist, wrinkling the parchment. There were marks on the parchment where it had been repaired – he'd torn it up in a fit of anger once he had read it, but after everyone had gone to bed he'd gone back down to the common room and cast a quick _Reparo _charm on it. Not so that he could keep it, no, but so that he had some documented proof to show Buffy when he went down to see her.

He stood in front of Buffy's office, debating whether or not to knock. He'd never really thought about seeing Buffy outside of classes before – he'd always had Hermione or Harry to talk to. And Ginny. And sometimes Dawn, but if he were honest with himself, the tall American girl kind of frightened him a little bit, with her talk of hellmouths and demons and having a vampire for a babysitter.

Sighing to himself, he tapped on Buffy's door. He didn't have to worry about missing classes – his last lesson had ended and there was time before dinner. He just hoped Buffy was there; he didn't want to do this again.

Buffy knew that there was someone out in the hallway, probably debating whether or not to knock. She'd had a couple of people like that; she supposed that many of the students weren't used to the idea of having someone to talk to who wasn't their head of house, their parents or their friends. They almost always knocked, though, and Buffy always let them in.

She was surprised, this time, to see Ron Weasley standing on the other side of her door. He looked uncomfortable, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Are you going to come in, or do you want to stand there and wait a little while longer?" Buffy asked. Ron looked down the hallway a couple of times before he entered the office. She gestured to the seats in front of the fire. "Go on, take a seat and we can start whenever you're ready."

"O-okay," Ron said, still clutching the lengthy letter. He sat down in a cushy armchair, leaving Buffy to curl up in the love seat. They sat there in silence for a few moments, Ron staring at the crumpled up letter in his hand and Buffy looking at Ron.

"How are you doing?" Buffy asked, breaking the ice.

"Okay," Ron replied with a shrug, looking up. "I've been better."

"Well, how about you tell me what's wrong?" Buffy suggested. That was all that Ron needed to get going.

"It's about Percy. He sent me a letter," Ron replied, before launching into everything. How he looked up to all of his brothers, even Percy. Especially Percy, sometimes. How it hurt that Fred and George made fun of Percy, and how powerless Ron felt, because he knew that if he stood up for Percy, Fred and George would round on him. "It really stung when he left, you know? And now this."

He brandished the letter in his hand, uncrumpling it so that he could wave it around. Buffy wanted to read it now, but knew that letting Ron tell her what was in it was the best course of action.

"What did he say?" Buffy asked.

"That Harry's crazy and violent, always looking for attention, and that I should drop him and Dumbledore and start sucking up to Umbridge and be loyal to the Ministry," Ron spat. He sighed, deflated. "Why does this have to be so complicated?"

"War is always complicated," Buffy replied.

"Is that was this is, war?" Ron asked.

"Cusp of it," Buffy replied. "It's not clear cut and pretty like you read in the history books. It's messy and it's bloody. There are lies and deception, and it's a lot more complicated than one side winning and one side losing. It tears families apart and sometimes it's difficult to bring them back together."

"Why do I get the feeling you're speaking from experience?" Ron asked.

"Because I am," Buffy replied. "But this isn't about me, it's about you. What do _you _want to do?"

"Harry's been my best mate since we were eleven – he was the first to see me as _Ron_, not "Arthur's son" or "Charlie's little brother" or anything like that," Ron replied. "There's so many of us Weasleys that some people don't even bother keeping track anymore. My own relatives get me confused with my brothers. Mind you, most of them are ancient, so it's understandable."

"My grandmother used to get me mixed up with my mom sometimes," Buffy said with a bit of a laugh. Ron cracked a small smile and Buffy was satisfied – her attempt at humour had worked. "But here's the million dollar question – do you think Percy is right?"

"No," Ron replied immediately. "Well, not really. I mean, Harry's angry because no one was telling him anything. I could understand that. But he's been going off on us a fair bit. Every little thing we say or do, even if it has nothing to do with him, has him snapping at us. Even Dawn isn't safe now, and she gives as good as she gets. I reckon there'll be a screaming match in the common room soon, worse than anything me and Hermione could ever come up with. Things will be thrown and no one is going to be safe. The twins are already collecting bets. Then again, Percy's a pompous windbag. I love him because he's my brother, but sometimes I really don't like him."

As much as Buffy wanted to ask about Harry and Dawn, she knew she had to keep the discussion on Ron and Ron's issues with Percy. She would have to find out the information some other way.

"Is there anything else bothering you?" Buffy asked.

"The usual. Schoolwork, living in your best friends' shadows, Quidditch," Ron replied with a shrug. "Nervous about exams, but that's understandable."

"I remember my OWLs," Buffy replied. "I did pretty well, all things considered. I'm sure you'll be fine – you've had almost five years to practice everything."

"How can you remember that far back?" Ron asked. "Wasn't that nearly a hundred years ago?"

"I'm going ignore the fact that you just basically called me old. And FYI, it wasn't a hundred. Closer to sixty," Buffy retorted. Ron's ears were beginning to turn pink. "As for remembering, it's only been a few years for me. A lot of stuff has happened between then and now, but hardly enough for me to forget learning magic in a thousand year old castle."

"Did you really know... him?" Ron asked, his voice a little timid.

"Him? Him who?" Buffy asked. She was sure she knew who Ron was talking about, but she really hoped he wasn't. She really couldn't talk about him right now, even if Ron didn't know all of the details.

"He... You Know Who," Ron said, his voice a whisper. Buffy sighed, knowing that she was going to have to answer this question eventually. She had just hoped that she would have to tell everyone at once so that she wouldn't have to keep repeating herself.

"Yes, I knew him," Buffy replied. "We were in the same year. When I arrived, he was one of the first students I met – Professor Dippet had him show me around until Dumbledore asked Minerva to do it. Thank goodness he did – even though Tom was charming, there was something about him that was... off. I thought that would have been the end of it, but then Professor Slughorn asked him to be my Potions tutor. Tom was the best student in the class and I really needed the help."

"Didn't Slughorn know he was evil?" Ron asked. "Didn't you? Aren't you supposed to, y'know, sense that kind of stuff?"

"He wasn't evil, not at that time," Buffy replied.

"But he's V-Voldemort," Ron replied, stuttering a little. "He must have been _born_ evil."

"Good and evil isn't as clear cut as you might think," Buffy said with a sigh, sometimes wishing that she wasn't so entrenched in the grey areas. "But we weren't talking about me and what happened when I was in school. We're talking about you, your brother and your problems."

"I think I've got a pretty good handle on this now," Ron said, folding up the letter and shoving it into his pocket. "Thanks for everything, Miss Summers."

"But I didn't do anything," Buffy said after Ron had left and closed the door behind himself.

**XOXOXO**

The next morning Buffy was seated at the Head Table, sipping her coffee when Mercury swooped in, a letter tied to his leg. Buffy took it from him and was about to open it when she caught sight of Minerva's copy of the Daily Prophet, which had arrived moments before.

"High Inquisitor?" Buffy asked, leaning over so that she could get a better look. Minerva tilted the paper slightly so that Buffy could get a better look, and they both scanned the article.

"So, that's Ron's brother," Buffy said, reading over the passage where Percy had been interviewed. "Sounds like a pompous ass, if you ask me."

"He was very bright," Minerva said with a sigh. "Very book smart. It's a wonder he didn't end up in Ravenclaw. But, I guess being a bookworm when your younger brothers are Fred and George Weasley is a fairly brave undertaking in and of itself."

"I suppose so," Buffy replied, remembering the brief conversation she had had with Ron the previous evening. She looked back at the paper. "She's going to be evaluating us? How in the world is she going to do that?"

"Well, I doubt she's going to be evaluating you," Minerva said. "You're not exactly designated as a teacher here – she wouldn't have anything to evaluate."

"There's the counselling thing," Buffy replied. "I'd love to see her try and get around the student/counsellor confidentiality thing."

"Don't let her hear you say that. She might actually give it a try," Minerva whispered, glancing around. Umbridge was at the other end of the table, handing out pink envelopes to all of the teachers.

"I hope to see you both at the staff meeting this afternoon," Umbridge said when she reached them, handing them both a pink, embossed envelope sealed with sparkly purple wax. Buffy waited until Umbridge was gone before she broke the seal on the envelope and took the folded up parchment (also pink) out.

"Is this woman for real?" Buffy asked, scanning the note. Flowy, loopy, girly handwriting was scrawled on the paper in purple ink, like a party invitation.

_YOU'RE INVITED_

_What: Staff Meeting_

_When: 4:30 p.m._

_Where: Staff Lounge_

_Topics to be discussed: My new position and what it means for you._

_Please arrive promptly at 4:30 p.m. I do not appreciate tardiness!_

The signature was just as loopy and girly as the rest of the invitation. If she hadn't been in the middle of the Great Hall, she might have started laughing. As it was, Minerva was trying very hard to keep her giggles in.

"Can she do this? Call a staff meeting, that is? I thought Dumbledore was the only person who could do that," Buffy said as she folded up the parchment and slipped it into her pocket.

"I suspect she can do whatever she damn well pleases, now that the Ministry has given her full run of the place," Minerva replied with a sniff, taking out her wand and Vanishing the invitation. "I need to prepare for my classes. I'll see you at lunch."

Minerva got up and left, leaving Buffy to finish off her breakfast alone. She scanned the Head Table to see how everyone else was reacting to their invitations – everyone seemed to have mostly incredulous reactions to it. Snape sneered at his before he set it on fire. Buffy giggled until he glared at her, causing her to cover her giggles with a cough.

Breakfast was passed with no more fanfare, and Buffy was soon back in her office, keeping busy with scheduling follow-up appointments and keeping up with her reading. She had finished all of the books she could find on Voldemort and Tom Riddle – she was planning on asking Dumbledore if he had anything else on him – and had started going through psychology and parenting books. It was nearly lunch time when she remembered the letter from Giles she had tucked into her pocket. Taking it out, she smoothed the slightly rumpled piece of paper over the surface of her desk and began to read, Giles' precise script filling the page.

_Dear Buffy_,

_I must admit I was a little shocked to see a barn owl tapping on my window while I enjoyed my morning tea. It took me a moment to remember that your other world communicates via owl post._

_I'm glad to hear you and Dawn are settling in nicely – after Sunnydale, the both of you need some kind of settling. We all do. I'm glad that you seem to have found your niche._

_It's certainly perplexing to hear that others knew about Willow's episode. I am curious if the Council also knew of the wizarding world. I'll have a look in the archives – what's left of them, anyway – and ask some of the retired Watchers who were nowhere near the blast when it happened. Obviously, I don't recall any knowledge of the wizarding world from my studies._

_Willow and Xander are both doing well, checking in regularly. Both have been asking after you, but I have not revealed to them where you are. I thought it best that the news came from you, when you were ready to tell them. I would do it soon, though – they seem anxious to know your whereabouts. I wouldn't put it past Willow to perform a locating spell soon, if she hasn't already._

_I'm glad to hear that the books will be helpful. If you ever need anything more, please let me know. I'll be happy to help. Possibly as a guest speaker, if you would be amenable to it and if you can get me in to Hogwarts._

_It may be a good idea to see if I could be connected to this Floo Network. Hopefully Professor Dumbledore will be able to put this in motion._

_I have included both Willow's address and the camp where Xander is based out of so that you can contact them when you are ready. I would suggest soon – they are getting anxious. Perhaps you could buy yourself more time by agreeing to see everyone at Christmas and telling them about where you've been at that time._

_Send Dawn my love. If you need anything, don't ever hesitate to ask._

_Yours,_

_Giles_

Buffy had suspected that Willow and Xander would find out that she wasn't with Giles, but she thought that she would have more time without having to tell them about the wizarding world. Wit having this as just her secret. She knew both Willow and Xander would feel betrayed because she had kept this secret for so long. Especially Willow because of the magic thing. It wouldn't matter that Buffy's magic and Willow's magic were two completely separate entities. Buffy was sure that Willow would only see that Buffy practised magic and had kept it a secret for years. She wasn't sure what she should do, but she knew that she would have to make a decision fairly soon.

However, it could wait. Right now, she had to concentrate on Umbridge's meeting and getting through it without smacking that smug, toad-like smirk from her face.

**XOXOXO**

Buffy was walking briskly down the hallway. Not running, never running – running down the corridors was undignified for a member of the staff, even if said member of the staff wasn't much older than the seventh years.

She was running late to Umbridge's meeting. It wasn't entirely her fault – a little Hufflepuff second year had come to her office right before she was going to leave, in tears, because some Slytherins in her year had been making fun of her. Buffy couldn't just turn the little girl away, so she sat and listened attentively as the girl cried about how mean the boys had been. By the time the girl was calm enough to head back to her common room with one of the cookies Minerva had told her would be a good idea to keep in her office, she was fifteen minutes late to Umbridge's meeting and was sorely tempted to just blow it off entirely. However, she also knew that there would be hell to pay later if she gave in to her urge now that she decided being late would be better than not showing up at all.

"So nice of you to join us," Umbridge said, her voice cool as Buffy burst into the office. "Although I was under the impression that when I said the meeting started at four-thirty, it would start promptly at four-thirty and not whenever you decided to show up."

"I'm sorry, but when a twelve-year-old girl comes to my office in tears and considering leaving Hogwarts because she's being bullied so badly by the Slytherins in her year, I can't really tell her that I can't see her because I had a meeting to go to," Buffy shot back.

"Well, if someone is being continuously told that they do not belong here, maybe we should examine precisely why that is," Umbridge replied sweetly. Buffy was about to claw the smirk off of the woman's face when Minerva placed a calming hand on her arm. A quick shake of the older woman's head had Buffy standing down, but just barely.

"Buffy is here now," Minerva said pointedly. "Why don't we start over? The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can leave."

"Of course," Umbridge replied. She shot a look at Buffy, a smirk that Buffy really didn't like, before she launched into her speech.

It wasn't difficult to decipher the gist from the waffle – Umbridge really liked to hear herself talk for some reason. What could have been summed up in a few painless minutes – even written in a quick note – apparently needed over half an hour of explanation. Buffy, and she was sure everyone else in the room, didn't really need to know how proud Umbridge was to have this position and that she would do everything in her power to make sure Hogwarts became a better, safer place.

The sugary sweet way she said it was enough to make Buffy vomit.

They were let out just before five-thirty, and by that time Buffy didn't want to head down to dinner if it meant spending any more time with Umbridge. Minerva seemed to feel the same way.

"Why don't we go back to the office, have a spot of tea?" she suggested, leading Buffy away from the staff room. Buffy thought that sounded wonderful, especially the addition after they were out of earshot. "Perhaps something a little stronger."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Buffy said. "Well, the tea. Not really the something stronger. Buffy and alcohol are usually non-mixy things. That, and I still have to teach tonight."

"Why do I sense there's a story behind that?" Minerva asked with a smirk as they headed up to Minerva's office.

"Because with me, there usually is?" Buffy suggested. She caught the expression on Minerva's face. "I don't like that look on your face. Why don't I like that look on your face?"

"Oh, probably because you know I'm going to get you to reveal every deep, dark secret you have," Minerva replied. "Eventually."

"Do your students think you're evil too, or is that experience just unique to me?" Buffy asked.

"They do after fifth year," Minerva replied. "All of the exam preparation I give them."

"Yes, I remember Dumbledore doing that," Buffy said as Minerva opened her office door and waved her in before following, closing the door behind them. As they settled in for a cup of tea, there was a knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" Minerva asked as she got up. She opened the door only to find Dawn standing there.

"Um, hi Professor," she greeted. "Is my sister here?"

"She is, Miss Summers," Minerva replied, stepping out of the way so that the younger Summers girl could see her older sister.

"Hey, Buffy," Dawn greeted. "Can I talk to you?" She looked at Minerva, warily. "No offence Professor, but alone?"

"Sure," Buffy replied with a shrug. She turned to Minerva. "Raincheck?"

"I'll be here for when you want to redeem it," Minerva replied. "Have a good evening, Buffy, Dawn."

"Thanks," Buffy said with a grateful smile before she was bodily dragged from Minerva's office, not stopping until they were in front of Buffy's office. Buffy unlocked the door and waved Dawn in before closing the door. She turned her attention to her younger sister, who was settling herself in the squishy chair by the fire. "So, what's the what, Dawn?"

"I can't just come and see my sister?" Dawn asked.

"If you only wanted to see me, you wouldn't have hunted me down," Buffy replied. "Something's wrong. If you tell me what it is, I'll give you a cookie."

"Bribing me with sugar?" Dawn asked. "You know me so well."

"I know," Buffy replied. "So, problems that need sisterly advice. Spillage would be of the good right about now."

"I just wanted to talk," Dawn said. "About anything. Nothing. I don't know." She sighed, looking at the rug covering the stone floor, her voice lowered when she spoke again. "This is harder than I thought."

"Dawn, can I ask you a question?" Buffy asked.

"Sure," Dawn replied, looking up. "What is it?"

"Is Harry hurting you at all?" Buffy asked. "Physically, I mean."

"Harry?" Dawn asked. "No, of course not! What the hell gave you that idea?"

"Ron came to talk to me last night and the screaming matches you and Harry get into slipped out," Buffy asked. "I didn't ask any further than that because he was there to talk about him, not about you guys, but it had me concerned. So, he's not hurting you?"

"No," Dawn said, shaking her head. "I don't think he's used to his friends telling him off when he's being an unreasonable asshat. I think up until now everyone just went along with what he was doing and just rolled with it. It's getting worse and I don't know how much longer I can take him snapping at me every ten minutes. It's exhausting, fighting all the time. We fight more than Ron and Hermione, and those two argue a _lot_."

"Don't remind me," Buffy said, wrinkling her nose, remembering Spike. "Maybe you two are better off as friends."

"Maybe," Dawn said. She sighed, before she got up. "I'm not really looking for advice. I just wanted someone to talk to about it who wasn't Ron or Hermione. I think Ron's scared of me and I'm kind of scared of Hermione. She's like a cross between Willow and a drill sergeant when it comes to schoolwork."

"Well, I'm glad I could help," Buffy said. She gestured to Dawn's hand. "How's your hand?"

"All healed up," Dawn replied, holding it up. There was no sign of any words on her hand, and the faintly pink skin there would disappear in no time. "There's this stuff, called Murtlap essence, that keeps you from scarring. I could have used that a while ago." She gestured to her sides, and Buffy grimaced.

"I remember that stuff," Buffy replied. She'd gone on patrol once when she was at Hogwarts and had come back with some bruises and scratches. Professor Giles had patched her up with some Murtlap because there was no way in hell Buffy was going to go to the hospital wing if she didn't have to.

"Are you coming to dinner?" Dawn asked. "I think there's roast beef on the menu tonight."

"The roast beef and Yorkshire pudding is almost worth putting up with Umbridge," Buffy said. She remembered that dinner, so long ago, when Quentin had filled her plate and drenched everything in gravy.

"You don't like her either, huh?" Dawn asked.

"No. No, I don't," Buffy replied, shaking her head. "I think I'll get the house elves to send some dinner up. I need to go through my lesson plan for tonight. Make sure I'm not doing anything too advanced for the kiddies."

"All right, have fun with that," Dawn said, getting up. "Wish me luck. Dealing with Harry the Hormone Bomb tonight."

"Good luck," Buffy replied. Dawn waved before turning and leaving while Buffy grabbed her lesson notes, going over the topics and skills she was planning on covering that evening.

**XOXOXO**

**I know it's going slow, but it should be picking up soon. As I'm sure you all know, Order of the Phoenix moved slow as molasses on a cold day. I'm trying to pick up the pace. As always, reviews are appreciated.**

**I should also mention, because it's come up more than once. I am not being paid to do this. This is a hobby. The only deadlines I work towards are my own. Polite requests for me to update are fine, as they do encourage me. However I don't appreciate demands and orders to update. I have a job, other hobbies, other projects and a life outside of fanfiction. I think I'm updating pretty regularly, all things considered.**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

It took a couple more weeks, but news of a Hogsmeade weekend finally made it around the school. As soon as the notices went up, Buffy grabbed a piece of parchment and a pen and got to writing.

_Dear Alastor,_

_I was going to start this with something like 'how are you', but that seemed dumb even in my head. So much has gone on in the time between when I left and when I came back that I doubt you'd be prepared to answer that question in a letter._

_Things at Hogwarts are going pretty smoothly. Well, as smoothly as they can with a toad-like hag breathing down our necks. She's been given the power to evaluate all of us now and send reports back to the Ministry. She hasn't gotten to me yet – I'm not sure how she's going to get around the whole patient confidentiality thing and she doesn't look like the kind to work after hours, so maybe I'll be off the hook. Fingers crossed, anyway._

_There's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up, two weeks from today. I'm supposed to head down to the village and help do the chaperone thing. If you're not busy, maybe we could meet up for a pint of butterbeer or something? We never did get to catch up over the summer._

_I'll be at the Three Broomsticks on the day if you want to join me. Hope to see you there._

_Your friend,_

_Buffy_

She read the letter over once more to make sure there was no incriminating information besides the fact that she was a twenty-two year old writing in a friendly manner to someone who, according to the wizarding world, was a little left of sane and more than a little paranoid. Satisfied that there was no mention of the Order, Slayer business or the fact that they went to school together, Buffy sealed up the letter and prepared to bring it up to the Owlry. She knew there was someone waiting for her as soon as she walked out, although it wasn't until she heard the throat clearing that she knew exactly who it was.

"_Hem, hem_."

Buffy mentally counted to ten before she turned, pasting a bright smile on her face. Even thought it was seven o'clock on a Saturday morning, Dolores Umbridge was fully dressed in her pink teaching attire, her hair perfectly coiffed, a sharp contrast from Buffy's jeans, Sunnydale High School sweat shirt and messy bun. She would change later for her late morning class, but for now this was fine for her to go up to the Owlry and head back down to her office.

"What can I do for you today, Professor?" Buffy asked, making no effort to keep the bite out of her voice.

"You're a very difficult woman to track down, Miss Summers," Umbridge said. "One would think that a guidance counselor would keep regular hours to be more accessible to her charges."

"Well, I've been here," Buffy replied. While it was true that she did take walks around the castle to familiarize herself with the school again, it was always during classes and she always left a note saying where she was and when she would be back. If she had many charges coming to her on a regular basis things would be different, but as of right now she only saw one or two students per day, if that.

"I was hoping you and I could have a little chat," Umbridge said. "Do you have time now?"

"This wasn't something you could have asked me about during school time?" Buffy asked.

"Well, of course it was, but as you know, I teach during class time," Umbridge replied, her voice slowing down a little. "As such, while you are available to speak during school time, I am not. You are also unavailable during the evenings because of the little club you have that Dumbledore lets you put on."

"If this is about my curriculum, I don't think that's any of your business," Buffy replied. "My little club, as you put it, is just that. A club. Students are allowed to come and go as they please and attend as many or as few as the classes as they like."

"And what do you do during these sessions?" Umbridge asked.

"What do you think I do?" Buffy asked. "It's information sharing. Just like the teachers do, only on a more informal basis."

"And what kind of information do you share?" Umbridge asked.

"My unique perspective and life experiences," Buffy replied. "I had a rather interesting last couple of years and Dumbledore thought it would be interesting if I did a little sharing."

"And what, exactly, happened to you in the last couple of years that is so fascinating?" Umbridge asked.

"I lived on a Hellmouth for seven years," Buffy replied. "I've seen some interesting things, things that these kids hopefully will never have to see, but would be interested in learning about at least."

"Ah, yes, I recall your sister mentioning something about living on a Hellmouth," Umbridge said. "I ask, though, is teaching young children about a Hellmouth really the most intelligent thing to do?"

"Well, if that's your logic, Defence Against the Dark Arts is pointless," Buffy replied. "I mean, you're telling these kids that there is nothing out there that is going to hurt them, so what's the point in teaching them how to defend themselves?"

"I am teaching them these things because they are a part of the Ministry-approved curriculum set forth by education experts at the Ministry." Umbridge cocked her head to the side curiously. "You know, I never caught what year you graduated from Hogwarts. You weren't in the records of recently graduated students."

"That's because I didn't." Umbridge arched an eyebrow at Buffy and she hurriedly explained, cursing the fact that she and Dumbledore still hadn't hashed out details about this. "I mean, I didn't graduate from Hogwarts. Kind of hard, you know, because I'm an American and it's really difficult for an American witch to get into Hogwarts under special circumstances, not even getting into the whole, 'I'm American and I want to go to Hogwarts' kind of thing."

"You seem rather close with some of the staff members," Umbridge commented. "One would wonder why that is, considering this must be your first foray into the British wizarding world."

"Professor Dumbledore put me into contact with some of the staff members before I got into the country," Buffy replied. "He thought it would be an easier transition if I was able to ask some of the people I would be working with some questions about the school and what to expect about the students."

"I see," Umbridge replied. A smile crossed her face, not quite reaching her eyes. "Thank you for speaking with me this morning, Miss Summers. It was quite... illuminating."

Umbridge turned on her heel and trotted off, the heels of her shoes clicking against the stones. Buffy shook her head, trying to shake the feeling of uneasiness she had.

She had a letter to send.

It was a bit of a shock to Buffy when she entered her dungeon classroom-slash-training area to find Umbridge settled into a plush velvet chair, obviously conjured, with her clipboard in hand. She had heard the other professors speaking about this with various levels of complaint so she knew, sort of, what to expect, but it was a little disconcerting for her. She had been under the impression that she wasn't going to be reviewed at all. She hadn't received notice of this – everyone else had received a letter telling them of their evaluation.

The students seemed to share her shock – as they entered, they started whispering amongst each other. Buffy knew that the general thread of the conversation was "What is _she_ doing here?" – supernatural hearing was a blessing, sometimes. Like now. However, the last thing she needed was more chaos than normal and made a concerted effort to quiet everyone down quickly.

"Okay everyone, settle down!"

Saturday morning club meetings were the hardest for Buffy to calm down, even when she didn't have uninvited and unwanted guests. It was the weekend, meaning that everyone was far more relaxed. No one wore their uniforms, opting for more comfortable clothes, and Saturdays were the days Buffy usually reserved for the more physical aspects of the club, like the duelling or the physical self-defence. Buffy would be damned if she changed her plans for anyone or anything.

Even if that anyone or anything happened to be Dolores Umbridge.

"I said _quiet!_"

The whispering ceased and the students faced forward. Some wore shock on their faces – Buffy rarely rose her voice, and even though she was so short compared to some of the other students, an angry or annoyed Buffy was actually a scary sight to behold.

"So, I see you've all noticed our guest sitting in the corner," Buffy said. She waved jauntily at Umbridge, who just scribbled something down on her clipboard. Buffy smirked a little before she continued. "Anyway, I'd ask her to participate but I don't think she'd be able to handle it. I'd also be a little worried about her safety if I pitted her against any of the students."

A wave of laughter rolled through the room and Umbridge's head shot up in interest. She regarded Buffy for a few long moments before she went back to furiously scribbling on her clipboard.

"I'm going to break you off into groups and then show you what we're going to be doing," Buffy continued before she began moving through the students, breaking them off into pairs. The pairs she put them in seemed to be unfair, one larger person, usually male, paired with a smaller person, usually female. There were a few female-female pairs (like Dawn and Luna) and a few male-male pairs (like Colin Creevey and Fred Weasley), and by the time Buffy was finished, she was getting some odd looks from the students.

"So, I know normally I pair you up with people about the same size as you, but today we're doing something a little different," Buffy continued once everyone was paired off. "In the real world, you're almost never going to get attacked by someone the same size or smaller than you. Normally, it's a bigger guy, coming up from behind. I'm going to show you some simple moves I've picked up that will help you bring down an opponent so that you have time to get the hell away."

"_Hem, hem_."

Buffy tried to keep herself from rolling her eyes and was mostly unsuccessful when Umbridge interrupted her. She crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow at the professor, tapping her foot expectantly. "Something you wanted to say, Professor Umbridge?"

"I fail to see how physical defense has anything to do with learning about demons and vampires," Umbridge replied.

"Well, my club is an all-encompassing one," Buffy replied. "I teach how to identify demons and vampires and what can be done to defend themselves from them. Some of these methods will also help while out in the Muggle world. After all, if you're in the middle of getting mugged, it's not exactly a bright idea to whip out your wand and start blasting spells this way and that and risk breaking the statute of wizarding secrecy, now is it?"

"I suppose so," Umbridge said, before she sat back and scribbled something on her clipboard. Buffy waited for few moments, watching Umbridge for any sign that she was going to say anything else. Umbridge looked at Buffy from over her clipboard. "Oh, don't let me prevent you from teaching your little class."

"Now that you're all in pairs, let me show you some of the stuff we're going to be doing today," Buffy continued, trying not to grit her teeth. She gestured to Dawn, standing around the middle of the room with Luna. "Dawn, Luna, could you come up here for a demonstration?"

Dawn and the little blonde Ravenclaw in question came up to the front mat. Buffy put them into position, all the while explaining the movements of the technique. Once she gave the okay to execute the move, Luna flipped Dawn over in a near-perfect Judo throw.

"Well, it looks like I'm not going to have to show you two anything else," Buffy said with a grin at her sister before she started moving her way through the rest of the pairs, setting them up for their throws.

Dawn lay down on the mat for a few moments, feeling winded. She had been kind of used to tiny blonde women throwing her around a little, but most of them had superhuman strength. Luna, as far as she knew, was normal in the strength department.

"You've done this before, haven't you?" Dawn asked.

"My father thought that a girl should be able to defend herself if the need arose," Luna replied simply as she held out a hand to help Dawn to her feet. "If you like, you could flip me a few times to make yourself feel better."

Dawn blinked at the strange girl who had said she glowed green upon their first meeting. Ever since that day, Dawn had not spoken to Luna and avoided the Ravenclaw as much as possible. It really wasn't that difficult, considering Luna was a year below her and in an entirely different house.

"I'm making you uncomfortable again, aren't I?" Luna asked. "I do that from time to time. I don't mean to, but when you don't conform to society's norms, people aren't sure how to react to you. Father always said that my brain works on a different wavelength than everyone else's, which is why I can see what I saw when I met you."

"It wasn't that you could see it," Dawn said. She looked around and, determining that no one was paying attention to them, continued. "Well, it kind of was. We had some issues about my whole green-ness a couple of years ago and it just puts me on edge when someone brings it up."

"You know you glow green?" Luna asked. "Most people don't know what colour they glow."

"Well, let's just say I'm special in that respect," Dawn replied dryly. "Come on, let's get back to work otherwise Buffy's going to start yelling at us or something."

"The offer still stands," Luna said as they got into position. "If you think I'm throwing you around too much, we can trade places and you can do the throwing."

"I'll think about it."

The class had gone well – the first one without any injuries – and Buffy was making sure that everyone was on the way out when Umbridge approached her.

"Well, that was an illuminating lesson," she said. "I notice you have no Slytherins in your class. Is that by design?"

"No," Buffy replied with a frown. "This club is open for all students in all years. I just didn't have any Slytherins sign up."

"I see," Umbridge said with a nod, making one last note on her clipboard. "You will get your evaluation in five to ten days."

Umbridge turned to leave. Buffy's mind was reeling. This had been an evaluation? What the hell? The other teachers had ample notice. Buffy had checked her mailbox in the staffroom every single day and on none of those days did an envelope from Umbridge turn up.

"I'm sorry, what?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Umbridge said, turning around. "Perhaps I didn't explain this to you properly. I was here to evaluate your technique as a teacher. As a part of this evaluation there is a written report. I shall be giving you a copy of this report in five to ten days, to coincide when I send it to the Ministry."

"I get that part," Buffy said. "I'm just wondering where the hell my notice was about this evaluation. Everyone else got at least a day's notice before their evaluation. I have been checking my mailbox for a note from you for the past two weeks and have seen nothing. For someone who's all about the rules and regulations, you're doing a crappy job about following them yourself."

"I put your notification in your mailbox after I met with you this morning," Umbridge replied with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You really ought to check it every day, like you say you do. You will get your evaluation in five to ten days' time."

This time, when Umbridge turned to leave, Buffy did nothing to stop her. Instead, she waited until Umbridge should have been far ahead of her before she set out on her own.

Up the stairs she went, hoping that the person she was tracking down was in her quarters and not out and about, Buffy made her way up to the seventh floor until reached the Transfiguration professor's office. As soon as she arrived, she pounded on the door.

"What's all this racket?" Minerva asked as she pulled open the door, expression somewhat annoyed until she saw who it was. "Oh, it's you. And you look vexed. Come in."

"She's evil. I swear, she's evil," Buffy said as she entered and flopped down on one of the chairs in front of the fire.

"Dare I ask?" Minerva asked as she made her way to the tea service and sandwiches she had on a side table. "Tea? Or perhaps something a little stronger?"

"It's –" Buffy checked the clock on the mantle, "- twelve-thirty in the afternoon. A little early to drink, don't you think?"

"It's five o'clock somewhere," Minerva said as she poured herself and Buffy a cup of tea. "Do you still take yours the same?"

"Two lumps, with cream," Buffy confirmed.

"So why is Dolores evil this time?" Minerva asked.

"How much notice did you get when she came to your class for your evaluation?" Buffy asked.

"Two, three days. Why?" Minerva asked, handing Buffy her tea.

"She apparently sent a note to my mailbox earlier this morning telling me that she was going to be evaluating my class," Buffy replied. "I didn't get it, of course, because she'd probably put it there while I was up in the Owlry before I had to teach. Sure, the whole being watched thing was a tip-off, but I was under the impression that someone who was such a stickler for rules went and broke them."

"Well, when one makes the rules, one can change them to suit their purposes," Minerva said. "What did you cover in class today, anyway?"

"Judo throws," Buffy replied. Minerva arched an eyebrow at her. "Magic isn't the only way someone can defend themselves. When deprived of their wands, witches and wizards are pretty much sitting ducks. Also, lots of vampires and demons are more close-quarters combat and most are resistant to magic. I thought it would be a good idea for the kids to have a little something in their arsenal. I mean, I'm not expecting them to use it and I hope they don't have to, but it helps to be like the boy scouts."

"The boy scouts?" Minerva asked.

"Always be prepared," Buffy replied.

"Well, that may be true, but the fact of the matter is the wizarding world is very set in its ways," Minerva said. "Most of them still believe that their wand is the only defence they need against anyone or anything and what you're teaching is a totally radical concept. I'm not sure how the Ministry is going to react to learning of our new club."

"Well, here's hoping there's someone on the board of directors who's a little more progressive than most," Buffy said before she took a sip of her tea. "So, how was your week?"

Buffy was seated at a table by herself at the Three Broomsticks, surrounded on all sides by students from third year and above. It was five after three in the afternoon and Buffy had been spending the last fifteen minutes craning her neck, trying to get a view of the door. However, it looked like Alastor wasn't going to make it.

"Got stood up, huh?" Dawn asked as she came over.

"To be fair, I only extended the invitation. He never said yes," Buffy replied with a sigh. She'd had a bad week already – Umbridge's report had come to her the day before and it was full of things she didn't like. There wasn't much she could do about it until the Ministry made a decision on the report, but by what was written there, it looked like Buffy wasn't going to have her club, as it was now, for very much longer. All she wanted to do was have a drink (mostly non-alcoholic) with an old friend and catch up.

Maybe she should have sent an owl to Augusta instead.

"Well, I'm going to go and hang out with Luna," Dawn said, gesturing to the blonde girl several seats away. Buffy craned her neck to make sure that it was _the _Luna Dawn was talking about before she turned her attention back to her sister.

"Huh. When did that happen?" she asked.

"After you paired us up," Dawn replied with a shrug. "When she's not creeping me out, she's actually really interesting to talk to."

"Well, be careful," Buffy said. "She might be in the know about the supernatural and stuff, but that doesn't mean she's safe."

"Relax, Buffy," Dawn said with a roll of her eyes. "I think I've become a good judge of character by now."

"Need I remind you about that time you made out with a vampire?" Buffy asked.

"I said _now_," Dawn said with a sigh. "As in, the mistakes in my past made me a better judge of character."

"Fine, fine," Buffy replied, waving Dawn off. "Go on, don't want to keep Luna waiting."

Dawn grinned before she waved good-bye and trotted over to where Luna was sitting... alone. Buffy was a little curious about what was going on between her sister and the blonde Ravenclaw, but didn't have much of a chance to dwell on it because a gravelly voice sounded from her right.

"Is this seat taken?"

Buffy looked up, a bright smile crossing her face when she saw Alastor Moody standing next to her, looking rather uncomfortable as he gripped the back of the chair to her right. He looked so different from the boy she had known and wondered what he would have become if she hadn't been sent away. So many people had changed since that day. Obviously, Quentin and Tom had changed the most. Would they have been different if she'd been able to stay?

"No, please, sit down," Buffy replied, gesturing to the chair. She watched as Alastor sat down, struggling a little with his wooden leg. Buffy made a move to help, but a glare from him stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't you dare, Buffy," he said, his voice growly. "I might be old, but I'm not an invalid yet."

"I never said you were," Buffy replied. "Can I get you something?"

"I'll flag down Madam Rosmerta myself," Alastor replied, before he promptly turned and waved down the attractive middle-aged woman making her way between the tables. She approached the table with a bright smile, only faltering a little in surprise when she saw who was sitting with Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody.

"What can I get you?" she asked.

"Firewhiskey for me, and another butterbeer for the lady," Alastor replied. Rosmerta made a note on her pad before she turned and headed back to the bar.

Buffy and Alastor stared at each other for a few moments as Rosmerta walked away. She searched for something to say as Alastor scrutinized her with his good eye, the fake one moving independently, even rolling back into his head.

"Could you stop that?" Buffy asked, gesturing to the moving eye.

"If I don't keep it moving I'll be able to see through your shirt," Alastor replied gruffly.

"That thing has x-ray vision?" Buffy asked. Alastor nodded. "Weird."

"Well, when you gets bits and pieces blown off, the Ministry does a damn fine job making sure you get new and improved ones," Alastor replied as Rosmerta came back with their drinks. He took a swig of firewhiskey, grimacing a little before he thumped his wooden leg on the floor. "Well, except for this one. Still have problems getting around."

"It looks like you've had an interesting life," Buffy said, taking a sip of her drink.

"That I have," Alastor said. "You would have seen it for yourself if you'd stayed."

"You think I wanted to leave?" Buffy asked.

"At the time? No," Alastor replied. "But after I found out about the portal? You're damn right I did. I searched for you. For _years_. Everyone else gave up on you, but I didn't. Good to know it was all for nothing."

"I was told, numerous times, but Dumbledore and Dippet that there was no way in hell I'd be able to go back to my own time," Buffy hissed, glancing around to make sure that no one was eavesdropping. So far, everyone was engrossed in their own conversations and weren't paying attention to the eighty-year-old and the twenty-one-year-old. "By the time Malfoy sent me back, I was resigned to being stuck in the 1940's. I was actually _looking forward _to graduating from Hogwarts and building a career somewhere. No idea who would have taken me, transfer student with no history and crappy grades, but I was prepared to work for it. And then Malfoy went and screwed it up. So don't you _dare_ imply that I wanted to go home. Hogwarts was my home."

"So you never, ever wanted to go back?" Alastor asked. "As soon as you came to Hogwarts, that was it? You were happy?"

"God no," Buffy replied with a shake of her head. "I felt lost, alone. You remember how I was. Homesick like crazy. I had to watch what I said and what I did to make sure I didn't make anyone more suspicious than they already were."

"How did Malfoy find out, then?" Alastor asked.

"I don't know," Buffy replied. "He was a Slytherin. They're sneaky. He probably listened at the door when I was talking to Dumbledore and Dippett."

"Did Riddle know?" Alastor asked.

"No," Buffy replied. "I was keeping that secret from both of you."

"So what, you were going to happily keep the secret that you were from the future and go off and marry that snake and have little snakey children?" Alastor asked.

"Alastor, please calm down," Buffy said with a tired sigh. "If we're going to fight, I don't want to do it here."

"Fine," Alastor replied, downing the rest of his whiskey in one go. "Are you finished?"

"What?" Buffy asked. "Why?"

"You don't want to have this discussion here," Alastor replied. "So finish your drink and let's go."

Buffy huffed a little in frustration, grabbed her butterbeer and took a large gulp before she started rooting around in her purse for a few Galleons. Alastor thrust his hand in his pocket and dropped enough coins onto the table to cover his firewhiskey, the butterbeer he'd ordered for her and the one she'd been nursing before he'd gotten there. He looked at her expectantly before he turned and started limping out of the pub at a rather fast clip. Buffy waited a moment before she scrambled to catch up, reaching him as he opened the door.

Alastor limped for quite a ways, and Buffy practically chasing after him was enough to garner a few strange glances from passerby. Neither of them paid any attention to them as they strode to some place with a little more privacy. They finally found it – just outside the Shrieking Shack.

"Huh, this wasn't here when we were students, was it?" Buffy asked, looking up at the dilapidated shack.

"Aye, it wasn't," Alastor agreed. "It was put up as a place for Remus Lupin to transform during the full moon."

"Dumbledore's doing, I'm guessing?" Buffy asked. "I mean, Dippet really didn't seem like the type to let a werewolf in."

"Aye, it was," Alastor said with a nod. "Dumbledore's a good man."

"Amen to that," Buffy said with a nod. She sighed, staring at the Shack rather than Alastor. "So, did you really think I wanted to leave?"

"Like I said, I thought you'd disappeared," Alastor replied. "Then here you come, dropped back into our lives, mostly unchanged, and we learn that you're from the future. Throws everything out of whack. Changes everything I'd thought for the last sixty years."

"Mostly unchanged?" Buffy asked. "That eye of yours obviously only sees through physical things."

"What do you mean?" Alastor asked.

"If you think I'm exactly the same as I was when I left, you're wrong," Buffy said with a snort.

"Oh yeah?" Alastor asked. "What's happened to you?"

"Let's see... I had to blow up my high school, nearly killed a rogue slayer, had a little sister materialize and dropped into my life, died for said sister, was resurrected, had an affair with a vampire, housed all of the surviving potential slayers, died _again _ in the battle with the First and survived the fall of the Sunnydale Hellmouth," Buffy replied in one big long breath. "I mean, there are other things that happened, like Willow going dark and nearly ending the world and Spike saving it, but that's the gist of it. Now, if you want to keep saying I haven't changed at all, go right ahead."

"I see it now," Alastor said. "In the eyes. Your eyes have seen a lot."

"They have," Buffy replied. She sighed. "I never wanted to leave."

"You were going to marry that snake," Alastor growled.

"I didn't say that," Buffy replied, rolling her eyes. "I don't know what would have happened. Tom and I were so different that it probably wouldn't have worked out."

"Are you going to track him down?" Alastor asked.

"Not without my Scythe and a hell of a lot of backup," Buffy retorted with a snort. "When we meet, he's going down."

"No chance of redeeming himself?" Alastor asked.

"If there were any trace of Tom in him, it might be possible," Buffy replied. "But I don't think there is. Any last shreds of Tom probably died when he was resurrected."

"Aye," Alastor said with a nod.

"So anyway, enough about me. What about you?" Buffy asked. "Details. Now."

"Demanding little thing, aren't you?" Alastor asked with the first smile she'd seen out of him since that summer. "You got all afternoon?"

"I have nowhere to be."

**XOXOXO**

So, here we go. Another chapter. Huzzah! Live has been hectic, to say the least and it doesn't look like it's going to calm down anytime soon. I try to work on these fics when I can between other things (work, friends, other projects [planning a MG fantasy series about dragons right now], wedding plans). I have NOT abandoned this and don't appreciate it when people bring that up – I'm just taking a little longer to update because life is getting in the way.

Feedback is appreciated. Whining/comments about my irregular updating schedule will be ignored. Flames will be used to toast marshmallows.


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